Snart's Saga
by Cke1st
Summary: When a lonely young Norse farmer inadvertently trains an injured dragon, the world turns upside down for him and everyone around him. OC's. Parts 1 and 2 are K-plus, but part 3 needs a T, so the whole thing gets a T for subject matter and mild violence - the language is all K. Thanks to Namyre for the image of Snart's three dragons.
1. Chapter 1

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 1

A/N This saga is in three novel-length parts, and builds a cast of original characters, in addition to the canon cast (who start appearing in chapter 6 if you can wait that long). Part I begins a few weeks before the movie, and is based on the movie universe with a few cues from the CN series. Parts I and II deserve a K+ rating, but Part III needs a T rating, so the whole thing gets a T. The ratings are for subject matter and mild violence; the language is all K-rated.

**o**

Snart's axe handle bounced on his shoulder as he walked toward his woodlot. He imagined that it made him look powerful, maybe even dashing, although he knew there was very little powerful or dashing about him. Seventeen and thin, he was far from the model of a Viking warrior. But, of course, he wasn't a warrior. He was a farmer, which made him a second-class member of his Viking village. Even the fishermen outranked him, and they all let him know it whenever they could. So he much preferred the quiet of his farm and his woodlot.

Today was a winter day like any other in the village of Hulm. The snow lay a foot deep or more in most places; the footpath he had broken three days ago was almost filled in by drifting snow. The only sounds were his own footsteps and the wind whistling through the pine trees. He needed some of those trees for wood to warm his house, so he had to make his way to the woodlot again. His warm clothing helped against the biting northern winds, but not much.

As he walked, he tried to think of a song about cutting down trees. The warriors in town had plenty of songs about sailing to faraway islands, raiding other villages, and fighting dragons. But nobody ever wrote songs about the humdrum life of a farmer, even though the warriors might starve without the grains and vegetables he wrung from the stubborn ground every summer. No, they wouldn't starve; the fishermen would keep everyone alive. But they'd go crazy from such a monotonous diet. Everyone was glad for the food he brought to the market. They just had no use for _him_. He gave up thinking about songs and walked in silence.

That silence was abruptly ended by an inhuman bellow from the direction of the woodlot. Instantly, Snart brandished his axe the way he thought a warrior would. Would a tree axe be any help against... against what? What could make such a noise? He heard some crashing noises from deep in the woodlot. Whatever it was, it was _big_. A bear? A stag? Maybe even a _dragon_? The axe suddenly seemed very small and useless.

Snart had seen dragons flying overhead from time to time. That meant they were raiding the village, carrying off whatever food they could find, and killing anyone who got in their way. He had no livestock except the scrawny pony that pulled his plow and his market wagon, and the pony stayed in the barn at night when dragons did their raiding, so the huge reptiles never bothered his farm. That meant he knew next to nothing about them.

He had never seen a dragon up close. Everyone knew, if you got close to a dragon, it was kill or be killed, and Snart had never been very good at killing. He kept no livestock because he couldn't stand to butcher them, not even chickens. Now there was probably a dragon in his woodlot, and if he didn't do something about it, his firewood would run out and he would freeze. He considered running back to the village for help, but dismissed the idea. If a dragon was here, that meant the village had just been raided, and the villagers would have bigger problems than helping a solitary farmer on the outskirts of the town. He looked toward the village, and sure enough, he could see smoke rising, far more smoke than just the chimneys could make. Half the buildings in Hulm were probably ashes by now, and people would be hurt. He would have to deal with this creature himself.

He crept into the woods as quietly as he could, holding the axe in front of him. Maybe he should cut some small trees on the edge of the woodlot and run home? No, the chopping noises would attract the creature; he had to deal with it somehow. It roared again. Snart froze, and not just from the cold. It wasn't far away from him now. He took a step, paused, stepped again, coming up with plans and rejecting them all as useless or stupid.

Up ahead, in the clearing where he did his splitting, he saw a flash of blue through the trees. There shouldn't be anything blue there! He took another step, and another, forcing himself not to turn and run when the thing let out another roar. He sheltered behind a large pine tree for a moment, then stepped into the clearing. He stared.

The dragon stared back at him.

It seemed huge, although it wasn't that much taller than he was. It was blue, with yellow and black markings, two legs, and two wings. He recognized it as a Deadly Nadder, and tried to remember what his people knew about the species. All he could recall was that it shot spines from its tail, and its fire was unusually hot. Great — so it could kill him two different ways, or four ways if you counted its claws and its teeth. It sure had a lot of teeth. It went motionless when it saw him, raised the spines on its tail, and cocked its head to the right so it could watch him out of its left eye.

Now what? He could be totally stupid and charge at it with his axe; he could run away and eventually freeze to death; or he could come up with something else. He waited for something else to occur to him, but nothing happened. He and his people's greatest enemy stood silently, about thirty feet apart, just watching each other.

After nearly a minute of this, Snart broke his gaze and looked around. He could see the snapped branches up in the trees where the Nadder had crashed to earth. Why had it landed, and why was it still here in daylight? He looked back at it, and noticed that its left wing was hanging awkwardly, unlike the right wing which was neatly folded. Had it flown too low last night, and broken its wing by hitting a tree? That seemed likely.

He tried to remember the lessons he and the other children had learned from the village elder, all those years ago. He recalled a saying they had to memorize: "A downed dragon is a dead dragon." Unable to fly, this Deadly Nadder would soon be dead; if it couldn't hunt, it would starve or freeze. If he could just wait it out, the problem would take care of itself, and he would have his woodlot to himself again.

But could he allow something to starve? He knew what hunger was. There had been several years when he was learning to farm, after the fever took his parents; his crops had failed, and he had little to eat for months on end. Something inside him rejected the idea. That was too awful a way to go, even for a dragon. But what was he to do?

An idea hit him. It was so absurd that he laughed out loud. This startled the dragon, which growled and shifted its position. Instantly, Snart exclaimed, "It's okay! It's okay!" His voice sounded unfamiliar to him — he spent so much time alone that he could often go for weeks with no one to talk to. The dragon seemed to relax slightly. Yes, getting the dragon to relax would be a good thing. He slowly lowered his axe head to the ground, released the handle, and let it fall. He was now defenseless, but he doubted that a woodsman's axe would be of much use anyway.

The Nadder lifted its head slightly, not taking its eye off him. He spread his hands to show that they were empty. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said soothingly. "I want to help you. Oh, who am I kidding — you can't understand me! Well, I hope you can tell from my tone that I'm not a threat." He took a tentative step toward the dragon.

It would have been a simple thing for the Nadder to flick its tail and impale him with its flying spines. If it had any fire left inside, he was close enough for the dragon to cook him alive. But it didn't attack; it just kept its eye on him. He took one step at a time, keeping his hands in plain view.

When he got about ten feet from the dragon, it shifted away, not willing to let him come closer. He sidestepped; it stepped forward to keep the distance between them. "If you don't let me get closer, I can't help you," he said softly. He was fully committed now; the dragon could easily leap on him if it didn't want to use its fire or its spines. He tried to think of soothing, peaceful things to say, but it was hard when he was scared halfway to death.

He took another step toward it. It suddenly turned its back to him, tail raised, spines fully upright. He froze. He couldn't remember if a Nadder's spines were poisonous. Each was the size of a dagger; if one hit him, it probably wouldn't matter if it was poisonous or not. The creature shifted its broken wing, and let out a roar that was probably a bellow of pain.

"Please let me help you," he intoned, and took another step. The dragon didn't move. Another step. And another. He was close enough to touch the tip of its tail, but he didn't dare try. Another step, and then he stopped. Was it his imagination, or were the spines not sticking up as far as they had been? Yes, they were definitely beginning to lie flat. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched the tail between the spines. The dragon flinched; the spines jerked upright again, then slowly lay down until they were flat against the tail. Still it glared at him with its left eye. He stroked its tail and wondered what to do next.

Slowly he walked around the creature's body until he was just a few feet from the head. It tracked him, keeping that one eye on him. Now it was vital that the dragon understand him. "I" — he pointed to himself — "need to touch" — he gestured a touching motion with both hands — "your wing" — he pointed to the dragon, then to its wing. "Please don't hurt me. If you kill me, I can't help you, and you'll die too." Snart couldn't think of any gestures for the last part. So he slowly turned and raised one gloved hand toward the left wing.

The dragon growled softly, but did nothing as Snart slid his hand along the front of the wing. He stopped before he got too close to the point of the injury; he emphatically did _not_ want to inflict any pain. There was only one fracture, halfway down the outer wing bone, and it looked like a clean break; the bone wasn't shattered. He knew a thing or two about healing animals from his youth. Perhaps he could set the wing, splint it, and then...

And then what? Let the dragon go free? So it could raid his village and kill people again? The villagers would probably kill _him_ for attempting such a thing; they would shun him merely for suggesting it. But the idea had taken root in his head, and it was so strong (and so improbable) that he couldn't think of anything else. He stepped back.

"I" — he pointed to himself — "have to go back" — he used two fingers of his hand in a walking-away gesture — "to my house. But I'll be back" — he walked his fingers back toward the dragon — "and I will try to fix your wing." He held both arms out at his side, the right one straight, the left one swinging freely at the elbow. Then he deliberately straightened the left arm, and looked pointedly at the dragon. It cocked its head and exhaled sharply, making a chuffing noise.

Did it understand him? There was only one way to find out. He backed away slowly, then turned and headed for his house. The dragon did not move.


	2. Chapter 2

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 2

If a warrior from Hulm village had approached an injured dragon, alone and unarmed, his fellows probably would have written songs about him. It would be called an amazingly brave act (and a foolish one, though that word wouldn't be in the song). But when Snart went back to his woodlot to face the injured dragon, alone and unarmed, no songs were written, and no one saw it but the dragon.

He didn't feel very heroic. He was carrying an armful of light timbers, rope, and some worn-out saddle blankets from the barn. He had no plan beyond setting the broken bone; even his need for firewood had taken a back seat to this insane new idea. The dragon had not moved by the time he returned. He took a deep breath and slowly approached his people's great enemy again.

To his surprise, the dragon slowly extended its injured wing. How much had it understood him? How intelligent were dragons, anyway? Probably no one knew — dragons were for killing, nothing more. A thought passed through his mind: he might be learning things about the huge lizards that no one else knew, because no one else had ever asked the right questions before. But his mind was on the impossible task before him.

"I need you" — he pointed to the dragon — "to fold your wing. Like this." He demonstrated with his arm. The dragon chuffed, its hot breath raising a cloud of steam in the cold air. He showed it again. This time, the Nadder folded its wing as best it could. He saw it wince when the wing would fold no farther. He wrapped the blankets around the timbers, and put the ropes nearby. Now, for the hard part.

"This is going to hurt," he said. He flexed his arm, made a crunching sound, and grabbed his elbow as if it hurt. The dragon's eye went wide and it stepped away from him. He showed it his empty palms, tried to sound reassuring. "It's the only way I can help you," he said, almost pleading with it. "If I don't fix your wing, you'll die. And if you lash out and kill me, you'll die. It's going to hurt, but it's the only way."

For several long seconds, nothing happened. Then, slowly, reluctantly, the Nadder stepped back toward him and lay down in the snow. It quivered as he laid both his hands on the wing. "I'll try to do this quickly," he said.

When he turned the broken bone to set it, the dragon let out a howl of pain that must have been audible all the way to the village. Its body went rigid; its tail lashed the ground and its spines stood erect. Behind him, he heard the clash of teeth and felt a sudden draft, as though the dragon had tried to bite him and held itself back at the last moment. But it didn't move, and it didn't unfurl its wing. Snart felt the broken ends fit together. Working fast, he laid a wrapped timber against each side of the folded wing. He tied them together with the ropes to make a splint. The blankets would keep the timbers from rubbing the skin of the wing. He stepped back to examine his handiwork.

The Nadder slowly relaxed. It looked back at its splinted wing, then at him. It seemed confused. Had it thought he was going to make it all better with a touch? It tried to move the wing. It flexed at the shoulder normally, but the splint kept it from bending in any other way. It stumbled to its feet and reached its head back to bite at the splint.

"No, no, no, you can't do that!" Snart shouted, then softened his voice. "It's going to take at least six weeks to heal. Well, it would take a human six weeks; I don't know about dragon bones. _Torden og lyn!_ How do I make you understand about six weeks?" He'd already done something close to a miracle; he wasn't going to be stopped now.

He found a small rise where the snow wasn't so deep. He brushed away the snow and the pine needles until he had a bare patch of ground showing. A chuffing sound and a cloud of steam told him that the dragon was watching over his shoulder. Could he communicate the concept of passing time to this animal, this killer?

"Okay, that's the sun up in the sky." He pointed. "When it goes down" — he gestured with his arm — "and comes up again" — he gestured with the other arm — "that's one day." He drew a circle in the dirt with his finger. "When the sun goes down and comes up again, that's another day." He drew another circle. "Your wing" — he pointed at it — "is going to take forty-two days to heal." He drew in the dirt until he had six rows of seven circles. The dragon watched, silent, motionless. Was it getting the idea at all?

Snart stood up. He found himself looking straight at the dragon's nose. The Nadder suddenly lifted its head and turned it to the side so it could watch him with one eye. Could the dragon have a blind spot right in front of its head? The way its eyes were placed, it seemed possible, and it definitely preferred to keep one side of its head toward him. He would have to remember that.

"Okay, six weeks. I'll be here every day to check on you, and... hey, you'll need to eat, won't you? What do you dragons eat, anyway?" The dragon stared, uncomprehending. "Oh, that's right. Whatever you can steal. I'll see if I have anything in the cellar that might be fresh enough to interest a dragon. Come to think of it, I'm getting hungry, too."

He turned for home. The dragon turned as if to follow him. "No! No, you can't follow me. If those burned-out villagers come here to buy some food, they'll see you, and they'll kill you. _Both_ of us. There's not much chance of them coming here, but..." He pointed to the clearing in the woodlot, then repeated his walk-away, walk-back gestures. The Nadder seemed to understand, and returned to the clearing.

The afternoon was well past when Snart returned with a bag of food. He offered each kind of meat to the dragon from about five feet away, then tossed it into the gaping mouth. It accepted the chicken, it wasn't enthusiastic about the mutton, and it rejected the beef, but it swallowed the codfish with obvious enjoyment. "So you like fish? That's good. Fish are easy to find around here." He sat down on the empty food bag, with his back against a tree, and pulled out his own lunch.

Without warning, the dragon stepped toward him, flexing its neck and making an odd choking noise. Was it going to breathe fire on him? He cringed. The next thing he knew, half a codfish was lying next to him on the snow. The dragon looked down on him and waited.

"I shared my food with you, so you're sharing yours with me? Is that it? Well, thank you. I'll eat it later, after I cook it." He put it in his lap and tried to return to his dried-beef sandwich. The dragon blew a puff of steam at him from its nose and stomped the ground.

"Now, not later?" Snart sighed. "Well, you're bigger than me, so I guess I shouldn't argue with you." He reluctantly picked up the fish, found a fleshy part, and took a bite. It took effort to chew it and swallow it. This appeared to satisfy the dragon. It walked a few steps away and lay down, and was soon asleep.

Snart took a long look at the great beast. He realized that he had probably spent more time next to a dragon than any other Viking and survived. It hadn't attacked him; it had let him set its broken bone; and they had shared a meal together. Of course, no one would believe him if he tried to tell the tale. And if they did believe him, they'd cast him out of the village for letting a dragon live when he had the chance to kill it. For the first time in a very long while, Snart wished there was someone he could talk to. His childhood sweetheart, long since married to someone else, would not have understood; she had been far too traditional in her thinking. His childhood best friend, now a warrior who had no time for a lowly farmer, would have killed the thing outright. He didn't know anyone else he could talk to about this.

He rose, stretched, and looked for his axe. He still needed some firewood, if only to get him through the night. He selected a few small trees on the edges of the woodlot, cut them down quickly, and dragged them home, where he cut them to length and carried them inside. It was past sunset when he was done. He ate a quick supper, collapsed onto his bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

**o**

**A/N **_Torden og lyn!_ — Thunder and lightning! (I use a few Norwegian words throughout the story for verisimilitude)


	3. Chapter 3

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 3

The next morning, Snart hitched his pony to his cart and set out for Hulm. As he'd expected, the town had been damaged by a dragon attack. Everyone was busy rebuilding and repairing; no one paid him any notice. He went to the docks, where he found a fisherman who would trade a full bag of grain for three sacks of second-rate fish, and was home before lunch time.

The dragon was eager to see him. He fed it lunch; it swallowed every fish he offered it, which was half a sackful, then lay down for a nap. He cut some more firewood — the sound of his axe didn't seem to disturb the beast after the first few chops — and hauled it home. When he returned to the clearing, the dragon was alert again. He gestured for it to follow him over to the bare patch where he'd drawn the circles.

"Okay, there's the sun," he said, pointing at it. "It's gone down once and come up once" — he gestured with his arms — "so that's one day come and gone." He wiped away one circle with his hand. "When all the circles are gone, that's when we take off the splint." He gestured for each important word as he spoke, then stepped back; the dragon bent its head down to take a close look at what he had drawn.

Then it turned, extended its good wing, and wiped away all the circles! It made a cackling noise that had to be laughter.

Snart's jaw dropped. "You rascal! Do you understand every word I'm saying?" He stared at the beast with new respect. It stared back. Without thinking, he reached out and laid a hand on its nose horn.

The Nadder pulled away, startled. Snart pulled his hand back, and the dragon relaxed. "Okay, we aren't there yet. Sorry. No offense." He bent and drew the circles again, then erased one. "I erase the circles every day. Not you, me." He emphasized his words with gestures. It bobbed its head in what might have been a "yes."

The next six weeks fell into a pleasant routine for Snart. Usually, winter meant huddling by the fireplace all day and planning what crops he'd plant in the spring. Now, he had a large, fairly intelligent, fearsome, possibly friendly creature depending on him for its daily food. He made the trip to the village every six days to make deals with the fishermen. They made the usual tart comments about how he was admitting that fish was better than farm food; he ignored them. The dragon was always glad to see him, or maybe it was just glad to see the food he brought; he wasn't sure which. After it ate, it would sleep, and he would sit and watch it until he got cold and had to return home.

The broken wing seemed to be healing well. After about a week, the Nadder would let him touch it without flinching. He talked to the dragon constantly, using gestures to make sure his message got across. He was never sure how much the dragon understood, but it was certainly getting something out of the exchange.

One afternoon, after cutting a week's worth of firewood, he was quite tired. Rather than return to his house, he sat down next to the sleeping dragon and leaned against it. It stirred briefly, but remained asleep. Soon, he too nodded off. When he awoke, the sun was setting and snow was beginning to fall. He was very surprised to find that the dragon had wrapped its good wing around him to shield him from the snow. From that day, he no longer thought of the Nadder as an "it," but as a "he."

Finally came the day when he erased the last circle from the dirt. The dragon was clearly excited; he obviously knew what was coming. Snart tried to explain that the joints would be stiff from weeks of being immobile, and it might take weeks more before the dragon could even think about flying. But the Nadder shook his head impatiently. So Snart took his knife (how many people could pull a knife next to a dragon and live, he wondered) and cut away the ropes that held the splint in place.

The dragon tried to unfold his wing, then stopped, puzzled. "You have to work it. Like this," Snart explained, and demonstrated by flexing his own elbow in ever-greater arcs. The Nadder copied him, and within fifteen minutes, he could fully open his wing. "That was fast," Snart commented. He couldn't flap it, though, because the clearing wasn't big enough.

"Okay, we have to find you some open space. I don't dare take you back to the farm. So we'll head for the coast." The rocky seashore was a little over a mile to the west, and there was plenty of daylight left. Snart began walking, urging the dragon to follow him, and the unlikely pair began their trek through the woods.

It took them over an hour, because the big dragon often had trouble threading his way between the trees. But at last they reached the tree line, and just beyond them lay the edge of a tall cliff, with the surf pounding at its base far below them.

The dragon spread his wings and flapped them experimentally. He seemed content with the results. "I guess I do good work," Snart said. The Nadder bent down to look at him closely; he rubbed his nose horn affectionately. Then, suddenly, the lizard spread his wings, ran straight ahead, and jumped off the cliff.

For a moment, he was out of sight. Then he swooped upward into view, did a quick spin-roll, and glided out to sea without looking back once. When he was about a quarter of a mile out to sea, he furled his wings, dropped toward the sea, and siezed a five-foot-long fish in his claws. Flapping hard, he soon gained altitude and headed for the horizon.

Snart stood and watched until the dragon was out of sight. He stayed motionless for nearly half an hour after that. Finally, he turned and slowly walked back. The sun itself seemed cold. It was dark by the time he got home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 4

A/N Thank you to those who are following and reviewing already.

**o**

The next day, Snart had nothing to do. Absolutely _nothing_. He had plenty of firewood, plenty of food, plenty of everything he needed. Except he didn't feel that way. If anyone had told him two months ago that he'd miss having a dragon in his life, he would have either questioned the other person's sanity, or laughed out loud. He just didn't feel like laughing today.

Wouldn't life without a dragon be a lot simpler, he asked himself? He wouldn't have to trade his hard-earned food away for fish every few days. He wouldn't have to worry about the townspeople learning about his awful secret. He could spend the rest of the winter indoors, where he'd be warm and comfortable, instead of spending all day, every day, out at the freezing cold woodlot. Any sane man would say it was better this way, wouldn't he?

What sane man would want a dragon around anyway? It certainly wasn't cute. It filled no purpose, met no need. It was eating him out of house and home, and it gave nothing in return. What was he going to do – train it to pull a plow? Teach it to play "fetch"? Maybe he'd sit on its back and go flying! He snorted out loud at that thought.

It wasn't a pet anyway. It was a wild animal! He'd never brought it to his house, but made it stay in the clearing in his woodlot. He hadn't even thought to give it a name.

It was a _dragon_, for Odin's sake! It _killed_ people! It burned houses! It stole food! It was his people's worst enemy! This very dragon might well have killed someone he knew.

Snart tried every argument he could think of, trying to convince himself he was better off now. Every argument hit that empty spot inside him, and they all faded into irrelevance.

The simple, inescapable truth was that he missed having that dragon around.

He knew it was pointless, but he decided to walk back to the clearing. That was the site of the happiest days he'd known in years. Maybe there was some happiness left over, even though the Nadder was gone? What a ridiculous thought. His boots crunched through the crust of snow. He'd dressed extra-warm against the cold; the clouds suggested a storm was coming, and there would be no dragon to keep him warm when he got there. Nothing could help the coldness and emptiness he felt inside, though.

The clearing wasn't empty when he arrived. The dragon was already there.

He was lying in the snow, but he jumped up when he saw Snart and ran over to him. Snart met the Nadder halfway, stopped to dab away some unaccustomed moisture from his eyes, and rested his hand on his companion's nose horn. "Hey, big guy! You came back!" The dragon closed his eyes for a moment, puffing steam out of his nose. Then he jerked his head and began walking away. He turned and gestured again with his head at Snart.

"I think you're telling me to follow you. Ummm... okay. Lead on." Snart almost had to run to keep up with the Nadder, even though the big reptile still had trouble fitting between many of the trees. Snart realized they were retracing yesterday's steps, and they would end up on the sea cliff. The dragon's manner was urgent, almost frenzied. What in the world was going on?

When they reached the ocean, Snart stopped and looked down the cliff to the water. He saw nothing special, just a sixty-foot drop. He looked back at the dragon, which had taken a pose he'd never seen before: bending forward, the curved neck almost touching the ground. He arched his neck, chuffed through his nose, and shook his head at Snart.

"You... you want me to ride on you?" Snart put two fingers of one hand across his other wrist to show a riding posture. The dragon chuffed and arched his neck again. Snart decided that the neck, just where it joined the body, would be the most secure place to sit and hold on. Tentatively, he swung his leg over the dragon's neck, settled himself between two back spines, and sat down.

_I'm sitting on a dragon,_ he thought. _Why does he want me to –_

Before he had the chance to finish that thought, the dragon had spread his wings and jumped off the cliff.

Later in life, when Snart tried to describe that first moment of flight, he used words like "pure heart-stopping terror." He had been off the ground many times in his life — climbing trees, fixing the roof of his house — but he'd always stood on, or held onto, something that was firmly connected to the ground. Now, suddenly, the ground was sixty feet below him, nothing was holding him up except a frail-looking pair of dragon wings, and he couldn't even see those because they were behind him. He clung to the big blue neck with both hands and both legs, not daring to open his eyes, and waited to hit the ground.

The first thing he noticed was the wind. He had run foot races as a child, and he had once ridden a racing pony at a fair in another village, but those sensations of speed were _nothing_ compared to the wind that was blasting his face now. He felt like he was facing into a gale! He'd never thought of dragons as being fast fliers, but this one was going very fast indeed, or at least it felt that way to him. He was glad for the extra-warm clothing he was wearing.

He slowly opened his eyes a crack, looking ahead and _not_ down. Judging by the horizon, the Nadder had gained quite a bit of height already. He chanced a look back over his shoulder. The land was receding fast and would soon be out of sight. He thought he saw some of Hulm's fishing boats, tiny in the distance.

The rhythmic flexing of the dragon's neck with each flap of its wings gave him some confidence. He wasn't falling, and the Nadder gave no sign that he meant to drop him. He tried to reassure himself.

"There's no reason to panic," he said out loud. "After all, what's wrong here? You're just riding on a dragon for the first time in history, flying half a mile above the water, going somewhere, only the dragon knows where, and there's not a thing you can do about it." He paused. "Okay, maybe there _is_ a reason to panic."


	5. Chapter 5

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 5

After over an hour of fast flying, the dragon and his semi-willing rider approached an island wrapped in dense fog. Without hesitation, the Nadder plunged into the mist, whipping past weirdly-shaped rocks without slowing down. Snart had begun to relax; now he was back to hanging on for dear life.

After half a minute that seemed like an hour, the island came into view. It was a tall mountain; around the edges were beaches strewn with debris. The top of the mountain glowed with an evil red light of its own. The dragon headed straight for a near-vertical cliff. At the last moment, he veered into a crevice that was barely wide enough to let them in, and they were racing inside the mountain.

The inside was a huge cavern, lit by the same red glow Snart had seen outside. The edges were honeycombed with smaller caves and ledges. The bottom could not be seen; it was masked in yellowish mist. The dragon landed on a ledge near the middle that was covered with old dragon scales. He flexed his neck, which Snart took as a sign that he should get off. He did so with great reluctance; he did not like _anything_ about this place.

If finding the dragon again was the first big surprise of the day, and going flying was the second, what happened next was the third. The Nadder sprang into the air, and spent the next five minutes doing a sort of dance — gesturing with his wings, trying to form facial expressions, maneuvering left and right in the cramped space of the cavern. Snart realized he was trying to communicate something, and by focusing on the dragon's actions to the exclusion of all else, he thought he got the idea.

"Down there... there's a dragon down there... a big dragon. A _really_ big dragon. You bring it... food. Other dragons... bring it food. It calls... you come. With food. No food... it eats you." Snart shivered, and it wasn't because he was cold. "Big dragon... is gone." At this, the Nadder landed back on the ledge, looking confused. Snart tried to assess what he'd just learned.

"Is that why dragons raid human villages? To feed this big dragon whenever it's hungry, or else? I guess that makes sense. And now this master dragon is gone, and you don't know what to do with yourself? If I were you, I'd be _glad_ it was gone, but I don't know how dragons think. Okay, let's look around the island and see if we can find some clues." The Nadder bent and arched his neck. _He understands me,_ Snart thought. He climbed back on, and they flew out the way they had come.

Snart was looking for evidence, but he wasn't sure what, so he paid more attention to the debris on the beaches. It looked like there had been a large battle recently. Shattered catapult frames lay half-pounded into the rocky soil; burnt, broken pieces of Viking ships were scattered around the landscape like a child's toys. There were a few discarded shields, but no weapons, and — oddly — no signs of bodies.

They rounded a promontory of the island, and what Snart saw there took his breath away. The dragon didn't seem to notice it. So Snart grabbed the Nadder's horns and pulled on them to turn the dragon's head. The Nadder shook his head and growled; he didn't like that. But in shaking his head, he saw what Snart saw, and they landed quickly.

The Viking farmer was standing next to the burnt bones of the biggest dragon he could have ever imagined. _Torden og lyn!_ If this monster had tried to fit itself into Hulm village, they would have needed a bigger village. The skull and neck were crushed, apparently from flying into the ground, so he couldn't tell how long it was, but it was _huge_. Its rib bones were bigger around than he was. If this dragon was the enemy in the battle around the corner, it certainly explained the broken ships and catapults. But how could any army have killed it without taking huge losses in return?

The Nadder quickly showed how he really felt about the giant dragon. He flew up to perch on the scorched backbone, and deposited some droppings there. _Okay, so you __are__ glad it's gone!_ Snart thought.

Then the blue dragon mounted up into the sky, and for the next fifteen minutes, he treated Snart to an amazing aerial display. He did loops, figure-8's, fast climbs, and power dives; he breathed fire, leaving a line of smoke in the air, and did barrel-rolls around the smoke; he made maneuvers that Snart had no names for. Snart didn't know much about dragons yet, but he knew a celebration when he saw one. It looked like his reptilian friend was very, _very_ glad about no longer being controlled by that monstrous dragon.

_If you let me name you,_ thought Snart, _I'm going to call you Skydancer. It's not very creative, but it suits you perfectly._

When the Nadder was done celebrating, he swooped for the sea. Twice he caught a good-sized fish, and twice he dropped the fish on the seashore and went back for more. When he returned with his third big fish, the sun was getting low on the horizon, and Snart had already gutted one fish and was gathering scrap wood for a fire.

"Could you, you know, do a little fire here?" Snart moved his hand in what he hoped looked like a fire-breathing gesture. Skydancer stepped back, took aim, and blasted the firewood out of existence. This dragon's fire was _hot!_ Only a few blackened bits of wood were left.

"_Well!_ I'm glad I didn't ask you to toast my fish on a stick! Tell you what — you eat yours, and I'll make up another fire pit." There was plenty of wood nearby, so preparing a second fire wasn't hard. This time, when he was ready for dragon fire, he made a very quick gesture. Skydancer obliged with a quick burst of flame that set the wood alight instantly. Man and dragon enjoyed their fish dinners together by the light of a camp fire, the only living things on a desolate island. Oddly, Snart didn't feel alone or desolate. To the contrary – this might have been one of the best days he'd ever had in his life.

The day's excitement had left him exhausted, so he laid down next to Skydancer, who covered him with his wing, and sleep quickly claimed them both.


	6. Chapter 6

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 6

A/N For those of you who have waited patiently for the canon cast to make an appearance, your wait is over. I have tried very hard to avoid any OOC stuff.

**o**

Snart awoke the next morning, stiff from sleeping on a rocky beach. Skydancer caught another fish and brought it to him for his breakfast, but brought nothing for himself. Apparently dragons ate only one meal a day, but when Snart tossed him a piece, the dragon happily consumed it. He used the time to teach the dragon his new name. Skydancer was a quick learner.

Riding the Nadder when he took off from flat land was even more jarring than jumping off a cliff with him. He sprang into the air with a leap that whipped his rider's head back painfully. Snart made a mental note to brace himself the next time they tried that. Once in the air, though, he really began to enjoy himself. He was riding a dragon! No one in history had ever done this before! He was sure of it, or someone would have said something about it somewhere. He could direct Skydancer's head, and thus the direction they flew, by nudging the dragon's horns lightly. The view from half a mile up was staggering. He just hoped the dragon knew where they were going.

In the distance, an island came into view. It was a central rocky highland surrounded by village buildings and some pasture land. He wasn't sure — he had never studied geography like a Viking raider would — but he thought it might be the island of Berk. He steered Skydancer toward it. He figured he'd be safe if the inhabitants threw spears at his dragon; they'd never hit him at his current height. He wanted to see everything.

What he saw left him _baffled_. The village was overrun with dragons of every kind! They were perched on rooftops, walking in the streets, flying around the harbor, everywhere. And there was no sign of fighting, either. People were going about their business as though their arch-enemies weren't five feet away from them. It looked like some people were even riding dragons along the streets. What in the names of the gods was going on here?

Skydancer's snort brought his attention off the village, and he caught motion out of the corner of his eye. Two dragons were flying up to meet him. One was a Nadder like his own, but slightly bigger; the other was a smaller black dragon of a kind he had never seen before. Both had human riders. "Fly straight and level, Skydancer. If they're peaceful, we won't scare them; if they want trouble, we'll get out of here fast."

The two dragons were flying hard and quickly overtook him, one on either side. The Nadder's rider was an attractive young woman in semi-battle dress, staying on her dragon with a simple harness. The black dragon was even more remarkable. It had a man-made red tail fin and an elaborate saddle apparatus, and the thin young man who rode it had an artificial leg. "Are you a friend or an enemy?" the man called.

"I hope I'm a friend," Snart called back. "What village is this?"

"It's Berk," the woman answered. "How did you learn to train your dragon?"

"We kind of taught each other," Snart shouted. "Can we land and talk without shouting?"

"Follow us in," said the young man with a nod. The two local dragons dove toward a cliff on the edge of the village; Skydancer followed without any orders from his rider. They all landed and the humans stepped off their mounts.

"Welcome to Berk," said the young man. "My name's Hiccup, this is Astrid, that's Toothless, and that's Stormfly."

"I'm Snart, from Hulm village. This is Skydancer. We were just flying around, getting used to each other, when we saw your village. Does everyone here ride a dragon?"

"Everyone who wants to," replied Astrid. "We've got a lot more dragons than dragon trainers, and we've only been doing this for a week or so. Why do you look so disappointed, Snart?"

"Well... I just thought I was the only person who ever rode a dragon."

"I know the feeling," agreed Hiccup. "But it's a lot more fun to have company. Let's go down to the Dragon Training Academy. You can meet the rest of the team, and we can hear your story." He led the way to a stone amphitheater with a very military look about it. Several other young people were setting up tables and benches, cleaning out side rooms, and fussing over two dragons — one short and squat, the other green with two heads. Astrid introduced the people as Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut. Snart decided that Fishlegs might be the one he had the most in common with.

Astrid produced some drinks, and they all sat down. The locals were very interested to know how he had tamed a Deadly Nadder, so he told his story from the beginning. "It's great that you know how to heal broken dragon bones," Hiccup said. "There's still so much that we don't know about them."

"I took some lucky guesses," Snart admitted. "It could have gone either way. Now, I'm dying to know how this village turned into a dragon's nest."

They all joined in the telling of their story, which mostly revolved around Hiccup and his forbidden friendship with his amazing Night Fury. When he described how Toothless had shared fish with him, Snart exclaimed, "I forgot to mention — Skydancer did the same thing with me!"

"Maybe that's something all dragons do when they choose a human friend," Hiccup wondered.

"You won't catch me eating anything with dragon-spit all over it," Tuffnut interjected.

"Maybe that's why your dragon won't do what you tell it to," observed Astrid. "Or maybe it's something that only the really _smart_ dragons do."

Hiccup was clearly not given to boasting; he glossed over several important parts of the story, and Astrid had to supply the details. Snotlout and the twins placed great emphasis on their own roles in the tale, which didn't seem very significant.

"So you're the ones who killed that giant dragon out on the volcano island?" exclaimed Snart.

"Hiccup and Toothless did it," Astrid said firmly, as Snotlout seemed about to claim some credit. "We all helped a little, but they're the ones who brought it down. Ironically, Hiccup finally killed his first dragon in front of the entire village, or most of it."

"I'm impressed," nodded Snart. "But how did you know so much about the dragons in the first place?"

"The Book of Dragons," Fishlegs cut in. "It's been handed down for generations. It tells you everything about every kind of dragon there is. Like, there's this one with four heads, and it smells like —"

"I'd like to see this book," Snart cut in. "I want to know more about Nadders."

"Mostly, it just says 'Extremely dangerous, kill on sight'," sighed Hiccup. "It's great for fighting dragons, but not so much if you want to ride one."

Snart was disappointed. "Is this Book of Dragons a sacred thing? Or can you write some new pages in it, with all the new things we're learning about them?"

Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs stared at each other, wide-eyed. "What an excellent idea!" exclaimed Astrid.

"It's a great idea," agreed Hiccup. "Fishlegs, do you want to be in charge of it?"

"Me? Write stuff in the Book of Dragons? Oh, wow." Fishlegs looked rapturous.

"I like the way you think, Snart," Hiccup said decisively. "If what you say about your village is true, maybe you'd be better off coming to live here."

"I couldn't," Snart protested. "I've lived in Hulm all my life. And I don't think there's much farmland on this island. How would I earn a living?"

"It was just a thought," said Hiccup with a shrug. "Will you join us for lunch? I'd like you to meet my father."

"Your dragon can eat all he wants from the fish feeders," added Astrid.

"They used to be night-attack torches," interjected Ruffnut.

"But we don't need them for that any more," finished Tuffnut. They glared at each other.

"I'd _love_ to stay for lunch. I haven't had much company for quite a while. Human company, that is." Snart was quietly amazed at his reaction to this place. He had barely met these dragonriders, and yet he felt more comfortable with them than with the people of his own village whom he'd known all his life.

It turned out that Hiccup's father was Stoick the Vast, the chief of the village. He was curious about the state of things in Hulm, and was impressed to learn that Snart had begun riding Skydancer only yesterday.

"There are some people who just seem to understand dragons," he decided. "My son is one of them. You're cut from the same leather. You're welcome in Berk any time you want to fly by. Is there anything we can do for you while you're here?

Snart thought for a moment. "Well, I'm still new at this whole dragon-riding thing, but I noticed that some of your riders have saddles or harnesses. Would it be possible —"

"Go see Gobber, the blacksmith," Stoick ordered. "He does excellent work. We'll take your dragon's measurements, and you'll fly home tonight on a brand-new saddle."

"Sir, that's very generous," gasped Snart. "But that kind of leatherwork... I don't have any money with me..."

"My son told me about the conversation you had, and your idea for adding to the Book of Dragons. One or two more ideas like that will pay for your saddle. We're shifting to a more dragon-centered way of doing things here, and any help you give us will be worth its weight in gold."

"Thank you, sir! I'm very grateful." Snart didn't add that he was also very amazed to find a village chief who didn't look down his nose on a humble farmer.

He spent the rest of the day at the Dragon Training Academy, learning more about how dragons were changing Berk. He found the Book of Dragons and read everything known about Nadders (he no longer thought of them as Deadly). He also talked to Astrid about her Stormfly. He was astonished to discover that some of the things he had done by accident with Skydancer, like his tail-first approach, were actually the the best way to go about it. He also noticed that she rode on the back of her dragon, behind the wings, rather than on the neck like he did. Both methods seemed to work; his perch was more secure, but he had to be more careful of his Nadder's head spikes than she did.

Then Snotlout brought in his own dragon, Hookfang, and Snart almost cringed against the stone walls of the Academy. Skydancer was big enough to have made him nervous, but this Monstrous Nightmare was just huge! Granted, the gargantuan dragon on the island could have swallowed Hookfang whole, but that dragon was dead and this one was alive and well, and looking scary. Snotlout seemed to enjoy Snart's reaction.

Around supper time, Gobber the smith presented Snart with a saddle and riding belt for Skydancer. Snart had to admit, the work was outstanding. It had slots cut in the top to admit the Nadder's back spines, and two straps that went around the dragon's neck and upper torso to hold it in place. Two loops on the saddle attached to hooks on the riding belt so he couldn't fall off, no matter which direction he might be pulled. "I've learned a few tricks from watching the riders," Gobber confided. "Some of them like to live dangerously, but I say, better safe than sorry, eh?" He chuckled.

After supper, one challenge remained: getting Skydancer to wear the saddle. He looked at it suspiciously, snorted, and pulled away when Snart tried to put it on him. Snart finally had to explain that it was to keep him from falling off, with appropriate gestures. At that point, the dragon reluctantly crouched and allowed Snart to strap the saddle on. Fishlegs watched the gestures and looked thoughtful.

Snart said another round of thank-you's, promised to return soon, and braced himself for Skydancer's take-off leap. It still rattled his teeth, but not so badly. Knowing that the saddle kept him on the dragon's back allowed him to relax, and the dragon seemed more relaxed as well. They flew easily, taking their time; Snart mentally noted a few landmarks that would help him find Berk again. It was nearly dark when they got home.

Skydancer made as if to return to the clearing. "Oh, no, you don't," Snart protested, running to get in front of him. "That's not how I treat my friends. Those narrow-minded villagers never come here anyway, so forget about what they think. You stay here; _this_ is your place now." The Nadder paused, then sprang into the air, landed on the roof of the farmhouse, curled up, and was soon fast asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 7

Snart's first project was to strengthen the roof of his house. Like most Viking houses, it had a stout main beam and a sharp pitch to resist the weight of snow, but the main beam wasn't meant for the weight of a Nadder. He found some timbers in the barn, cut them to length, and bolted them to the main beam, doubling its size. Now he didn't need to worry about his dragon dropping in on him during the night.

Next, he needed to make a "fish run" into the village. He knew he'd catch some chaff from whichever fishing-boat captain he tried to deal with. For some reason, he was no longer willing to just take it.

"That's a lot of fish you're buying, Farmer," said the captain, an older man who was missing two fingers. "You got family visiting or something?"

"No, I need it to feed my dragon," Snart answered matter-of-factly.

"Your what?"

"My dragon."

"You have a dragon?"

"Yes, I have a dragon."

"If that's supposed to be a joke, it isn't funny," growled the captain.

"It isn't," retorted Snart.

"It isn't a joke, or it isn't funny?"

"Yes. Now do you want to make a deal or don't you, Captain?" The old seaman muttered something under his breath, and they concluded the deal. Snart noticed the captain talking animatedly with one of the elders as he and his pony returned home.

The rest of the day, and the next few days, passed uneventfully. Snart and Skydancer flew together several times a day; they learned what to expect from each other, and Snart learned how to direct his dragon in flight without annoying him. He taught Skydancer some commands and tricks that might be useful some day, using both words and hand signals. They soon had a common vocabulary of over a hundred words.

That Saturday morning, Snart looked out his kitchen window and saw that he had company. One of the elders and one of Hulm's warriors were walking up the path to his house. He set his breakfast aside and went out to greet them.

"Elder Frogfoot! Batteram! This is an unexpected surprise. Can I get you some tea?"

"No, thank you, Snart," said the elder. "I know we're probably wasting our time, and yours, of course, but we have to check this out."

"Check what out, Frogfoot?"

The warrior growled, "We heard a rumor from Captain Saltash that you have a dragon here."

Snart snorted. "A dragon? Me? _I_ have a _dragon_?"

"I'm afraid that's what we heard," said the elder.

"Oh, you mean _that_ dragon?" Snart jerked his thumb up at the roof of the barn, where Skydancer was looking down on them curiously. The two men looked up, went very pale, took two steps backward, then turned and ran at full speed back down the path.

Snart looked up at his friend and shrugged. "Dat da-dah, we're dead." He didn't feel that bad about it. He'd wanted to get the truth out, and the elder had made it easy for him. Now it was a question of how much his honesty would cost him.

Skydancer was restless that night. Snart couldn't sleep; the dragon kept shifting positions on the roof, which made all kinds of noise inside the house. Finally, he got up and went outside to tell the dragon to either settle down or sleep on the barn roof. When he got out, he saw why the Nadder was restless.

Two big men with torches and battle-axes were creeping toward his barn. A raid! Another Viking tribe was trying to grab whatever they could find from Hulm, and they'd sent scouts to the farms on the outskirts of town. Well, these scouts were about to find out how unwelcome they were.

"Skydancer! Down here!" The dragon glided to the ground right in front of Snart, who quickly climbed into his saddle and hooked up. "Skydancer, grab!" He pointed at the men with the torches, who suddenly saw a huge form flying toward them in the night, just before each of its hind legs grabbed a clawfull of the raiders' heavy clothing. "Skydancer, up." They rose to around two hundred feet, high enough to get them above the trees while Snart looked for the main raiding party.

There! On the road leading into town, there were many torches, too many to belong to Hulm's few warriors. Those warriors were forming a line in front of the village, but they were outnumbered by more than two to one. If they had known that a dragon was on their side, they might have felt better, or maybe not.

Snart directed his dragon to swoop low, right over the cluster of raiders. "Skydancer, drop!" The two outriders tumbled to the ground in the middle of their friends, knocking several of them over. The raid's leader didn't care, or didn't notice. "Vikings, form a line and prepare to attack!" he yelled. The cluster of torches fanned out into a skirmish line, easily powerful enough to overwhelm Hulm's defenders. As Snart turned his dragon around and flew back at low altitude, he heard the leader roar, "Get ready..."

He never finished the command. "Skydancer, fire line!" A brilliant shaft of dragon fire lanced down out of the darkness, and drew a smoking line between the raiders and the defenders. Anyone who looked at that white-hot fire lost his night vision; anyone who could still see in the dark could see the smoldering trench where the superheated fire had blasted snow and topsoil aside. It was a line that no one would cross lightly.

Snart pointed to a clear area behind the raiders. "Skydancer, land!" The dragon landed there and folded his wings. Twenty defenders on one side, one dragon and its rider on the other, and fifty or more raiders in the middle. Good, thought Snart; we've got them surrounded. The raiders' ponies smelled the dragon and began neighing nervously, trying to break away and run.

"Raiders, I'll make you an offer," he shouted. He wished his voice sounded more heroic. "Lay down your weapons, your shields, and your supplies, get off your ponies, and leave here with nothing but the clothes on your backs, and we will let you live. If you don't, my dragon and I will not stop until we've hunted you all down and killed you." He had no such intention, but the raiders didn't know that.

"Who are you?" bellowed the leader.

"I am the dragonrider, the sky-dancer, the defender of Hulm, and I might be the last thing your accursed eyes will ever see. My dragon is getting impatient. What is your answer?"

As if in reply, two rear-guards burst out of a bush and charged at Skydancer from behind. Snart wanted to avoid hurting anyone, but these two were too close to play games with. "Skydancer! Back, shoot!" The dragon pulled its tail up as though cocking a crossbow, then whipped it down and to the side. A deadly hail of spines whistled through the air, cutting down the attackers in mid-stride. They fell to the ground less than ten feet from the dragon.

"Okay, I've had it with you fools. I'm counting to three, and anyone who isn't dropping his stuff by 'three' is going to be fish bait in the morning. One! Two —"

"All right!" "We give up!" "Don't burn us!" Terrified cries rose from all along the raiders' line, along with the sounds of weapons being dropped and the neighing of panicky ponies.

"I don't give up without a fight!" bellowed the leader. "Stand your ground! There's fifty of us, and only one dragon!" His men ignored him.

"What do you think, Chief Kallous?" yelled Snart. "Their leader wants a fight. Will you face him in single combat?" He already knew the answer. Kallous was a brutal fighter who became chief through strength, not smarts; he was undefeated in single combat. The Hulm chief roared his approval and stepped forward, and the head raider charged at him. It was all over in less than a minute, and ended in gruesome Viking fashion. Kallous claimed the man's helmet as a trophy of his victory. The raider didn't need it any more.

"Okay, the rest of you, drop all your stuff and —"

"I'll give the orders here!" bellowed Kallous. "The rest of you, drop your stuff and get out of my village before I change my mind. Now, who is that in the darkness, giving orders as if he was the chief?"

"It's me, Snart. You know, the one with the dragon."

"You keep that devil out of my town, or I'll have your helmet, too!"

"Kallous, I just broke up a raid, saved the town, gave you twice your strength in booty without losing a man, and handed you a victory! Why are you treating me like the enemy?"

"Keep it out of my town! Maybe you should keep yourself out, too. We have no use for dragon-lovers here."

"But, Kallous, the war between Vikings and dragons is over! They won't raid us any more. You don't have to hate them."

"I'm not listening to this _farmer_ and his idiotic babbling! Men, start gathering up the weapons. Bring everything to the Mead Hall; we'll divide it up in the morning. Frostheave, Gothchik, you two round up the ponies." The defenders spread out and began grabbing the spoils of war.

Kallous' second-in-command, a strong, clever man named Bustrib, cautiously approached the dragon and rider. "Maybe he's not thankful, Snart, but I am. How can we use this advantage you've given us?"

Snart thought for a moment. "Well... if all these raiders are here, there's no one left in their village but bread-makers and small-home-repair Vikings. If we can figure out where they came from, we could ride their ponies, move fast, and raid them before their men on foot got home. It would be an easy victory."

Bustrib grinned wolfishly. "Yes, it would. And we already know where they're from. Their leader was Lardgaz, the chief of Norpi village. I'll suggest it to Kallous; he might approve it if he thinks it's my idea. Would you go along with us if we do it?"

"I sure would. They tried to raid my farm; I owe them one. I can scout ahead so you won't bump into them when you overtake them."

"Sounds good, Snart. You go home and get some sleep, or stoke your fires, or whatever you do. I'll send a messenger if we're going raiding. And I'll want to talk to you about what you said, about the war against the dragons being over." Snart waved, and the dragon flapped up into the night sky.

"Skydancer, you were awesome! You did everything exactly right. I'm really proud of you." He could feel the dragon rumble deep inside, and knew that his reptilian friend was pleased.


	8. Chapter 8

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 8

The next morning, Snart was awakened by Skydancer pawing the roof. He was beginning to trust his dragon's senses, so he got up and looked out the window. A young Viking warrior was lurking near the edge of the farm, apparently afraid to come any closer.

"Are you a messenger from Bustrib?" Snart called from the doorway.

"Yes! He said to tell you the raid is going out now, and you should meet him on the path to Norpi." The young man paused and pointed at Skydancer on the roof. "Do you actually... _control_ that thing?"

"We have an understanding," Snart answered easily. "Tell Bustrib I'm saddling up and I'll meet him on the way." The young Viking nodded and ran; he was glad to get away from that crazy farmer and his pet monster.

Snart grabbed some dried food for himself, threw some fish in a backpack for Skydancer, and called his dragon down. "This is a strange mission we're on, _Venn_," he spoke as they launched into the sky. "We're helping our friends, but our friends don't like _me_ and they're afraid of _you_." Skydancer let out a grunting snort to express his opinion of that. "So we're going to stay close to the warriors in case they need us, but not too close. Keep your eyes open for anything that moves."

It wasn't a great day for flying. The wind blew crossways to their path, repeatedly blowing them off course. Clouds hung low, and they flew through occasional snow squalls. They found the raiders from Hulm after a few minutes; Snart waved at them, received an answering wave from Bustrib, and flew on ahead before the dragon frightened the ponies.

A few minutes later, Skydancer spotted a handful of enemy raiders on the path. Snart guided his mount in a shallow dive, and when almost on top of them, said, "Skydancer, roar!" Their approach had been wind-silent, the enemy weren't accustomed to dragons being out in the daytime, and the Nadder's roar was scary anyway. The raiders scattered in total panic. At least one of them would need clean undies. Dragon and rider flew in circles for a few minutes to make sure the enemy didn't return to the path too quickly.

The warriors from Hulm arrived first. "What was that noise about?" Bustrib demanded.

"Just chasing a few of our 'friends' off the path," Snart answered. "The less fighting you do on the way, the stronger you'll be when you get to Norpi. I'll keep scouting ahead." Bustrib waved, and the Vikings' new airborne cavalry flew up and away.

They found several other knots of enemy survivors along the way. They repeated the dive-and-roar tactic, which worked every time; Skydancer seemed to enjoy it. It was mid-afternoon when they approached Norpi village. Snart waited until his comrades-in-arms had caught up, then landed some distance away and walked over to confer with Bustrib.

"Okay, here's the plan: find their stuff and take it," Bustrib said. "We want metals, leatherwork, food that won't spoil, and anything valuable. No prisoners, no hostages. Snarfblatt, visit their smith's shop; if his work is good, take whatever you find. You all know the code — no one takes anything for himself, don't kill unless you have to, and only the dead get left behind. Dragon rider, if they try to fight, you break it up, and don't flame any of your friends, okay? Let's GO!"

With a shout, the Vikings charged into the town, waving their weapons. A few women and older men stuck their heads out of doors and windows; when they didn't see their own men, they pulled in and slammed those doors and windows shut. The raiders met no resistance in the streets, and very little when they burst into each building in search of loot. It was all over in less than half an hour.

When the Vikings returned to where they had tethered their ponies, each had a fat sack of stolen goodies. Two men were slightly wounded ("That old _Bestefar_ put up more fight than the whole rest of the village," was Bustrib's comment). It was the most one-sided raid in the history of Hulm village. Snart and Skydancer hadn't had to do a thing. "I guess you can go, dragon rider," Bustrib shrugged.

"With those enemy warriors still headed this way on the path? And your ponies slow and heavy with loot? Now is when you really need us, Bustrib. We'll walk ahead of you and clear the path."

"I have a better idea," announced Bustrib after a moment's thought. "You and your dragon, walk ahead of us and clear the path. Yes, I know you just said that, but _I'm_ in charge here."

"Yeah, sure. We'll do that. I suggest that if you follow us closely, they won't be able to re-form and attack after we pass by."

Riding Skydancer on land wasn't nearly as smooth as riding him in the air. Because of the way a Nadder's two legs were placed, he bobbed up and down with each step. Snart was soon feeling sick to his stomach. But he was determined not to show it in front of the other Vikings; they had enough bad thoughts about him already.

They encountered only one party of enemies, and that party scattered and hid at the sight of the dragon. Apparently, the other groups of Norpi warriors had decided to stay off the path altogether after their first encounter with Skydancer. The Vikings chose not to make camp for the night, but to press on and get safely home by morning. Now Snart was thankful for the nausea he was feeling; it helped him stay awake all night.

When they approached Hulm in the early morning hours, Bustrib thanked Snart for his help. "For a farmer, you're quite a fighter. That was the easiest raid I've ever been on. I'll try to put in a good word for you with Kallous, but I don't think it will do any good."

"Thank you, Bustrib. Like you say, I'm a farmer, not a warrior, and Skydancer and I need some sleep. Call for me if there's anything else we can do." Skydancer bounded into the sky and took the direct route home.

It wasn't until a day or so later that Snart realized: no one had offered him his share of the loot. He later learned of an old Viking custom — if a raider left the group before they got home, he forfeited his share of the spoils. No wonder Bustrib had been so eager to dismiss him! The disappointed dragonrider ruefully added one more name to the list of local people who didn't like him.

**o**

A/N

_Bestefar — grandfather_

_Venn_ — friend


	9. Chapter 9

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 9

Snart no longer felt comfortable visiting Hulm village. Fortunately, he didn't have to go there very often. Skydancer could fly to the coast and catch his own fish, and he usually brought back a few for his human friend. When he needed smithwork done, it was less stressful to take it to Berk and pay Gobber to do it (and Gobber did far better work than Hulm's smith anyway). He enjoyed his visits to Berk; he had friends there. Skydancer also enjoyed those visits, and the chance to spend time with other dragons.

He spent a lot of time with Fishlegs, talking about the additions to the Book of Dragons. He contributed a few things he'd learned, but he gained far more from what the riders of Berk had discovered. He learned about dragon-nip grass, and what happens if you rub a dragon's chin; he gained some useful hints about flying at night; and he learned to keep eels away from Skydancer if he knew what was good for him. He was astonished at how much these dragon riders were learning. He felt like he was missing out on something important.

Spring came at last, and Snart had to prepare his fields. He was out plowing one day when his pony refused to pull any more; she bucked and neighed in abject terror. Snart looked all around, but saw nothing. Finally, he looked straight up — and there was Snotlout on Hookfang, hovering above him in the breeze, looking very smug.

They landed while Snart put the pony in its stable. "If it wasn't for that dumb horse, I could have been right over you all day and you never would have noticed," Snotlout grinned.

"Maybe. But I'm sure you didn't come all this way just to scare my pony. What's up?"

"Hiccup wants a meeting tomorrow morning, and he wants you there."

"I'll be there tomorrow if I can finish my plowing today," Snart replied. "What's it about?"

"Hiccup says it's getting too confusing with too many dragon riders, and he wants some advice. If he'd listen to me, I'd fix his problem real fast, but he wants to hear from _all_ the dragon experts."

"Tell Hiccup I'll be there," said Snart. "But I won't make it if your dragon keeps scaring my pony."

"Is it the pony that's scared, or you?" Snotlout sneered. He was a few years younger than Snart; where had he learned his manners? The day might not be far off when this dragon trainer would have to get a lesson in politeness, Monstrous Nightmare or no Monstrous Nightmare. Snart returned to the barn for his pony; when he came out, Snotlout and his dragon were gone.

The next morning, Snart flew to Berk and joined the six members of the Dragon Training Academy. He sat on the front bench with Fishlegs and Astrid; Snotlout and the twins sat on the second bench; and Hiccup stood in front of them all.

"Most of you know the problems we've been having," he began. "Now that dragon training isn't a secret, anybody who wants to make friends with a dragon can do it. And with all those dragons from Helheim's Gate making their new nests here, there are plenty of dragons to choose from. Now, all these new dragon riders they know everything. They're giving bad advice to everybody else, and it's just a matter of time before somebody gets hurt."

"I can't _believe_ some of those people!" exclaimed Ruffnut disgustedly. "Yesterday, this old grandmother with a Terror on her shoulder was telling me how to feed my own dragon!"

"She said if Barf and Belch don't eat sulfur and molasses every week, they'll lose their color and turn brown!" added Tuffnut, rolling his eyes.

"Is that the same grandmother who told me to file Meatlug's teeth down so she wouldn't bite her own tongue?" asked Fishlegs.

"No, that's the grandmother who told Astrid she should cut off the tips of Stormfly's tail spines so they won't get ingrown," scoffed Snotlout.

"Okay, we all know there's a problem," agreed Hiccup. "The question is, what do we do about it?"

"The seven of us here know just about everything there is to know about dragons," began Astrid, "except the parts nobody knows yet. I think _we_ ought to be the only ones giving out advice on how to train them."

"Sounds good," agreed Snart, "but how do you convince people like that grandmother to stop giving bad advice?"

"What we need," thought Snotlout out loud, "is a way for anybody to tell the beginners from the experts like us."

"Oh, sure," Ruffnut cut in. "Are we supposed to walk around with a sign that says, 'Don't listen to her, listen to me, I'm an expert'?"

"I think Snotlout might be on to something," nodded Snart. "What if we made up three kinds of dragon trainers — the beginners, the experts, and the in-betweens? Each of them could wear a marking of some kind, like a metal badge, to show how much he knows. That way, when grandma starts handing out bad advice, people can just look at her badge and tell she doesn't know what she's talking about."

"That's excellent, Snart!" Hiccup was excited. "That sounds like just what we need. Three kinds of dragon trainers... hmmm..."

Astrid jumped in. "The lowest of the three would be, uhh, Dragon Friends. That's anybody who has trained a dragon in any way."

"The in-betweens would be the Dragon Riders," continued Fishlegs. "Those are the ones who have done something good with their dragon, like fight in a battle, or rescue sailors off a sinking ship, or —"

"And the real experts would be Dragon Masters," finished Snart. "Those are the ones who really understand dragons and can give really good advice."

"Like me," said Tuffnut. "But who decides which is which?"

"Anybody who can ride a dragon, and feed it without losing a hand, would be a Dragon Friend," said Astrid.

"We'd have rules for who gets to be a Dragon Rider," continued Fishlegs. "Anyone who meets one of those rules gets to move up."

"I think the Dragon Masters should be voted in by the Dragon Riders," Snart suggested. "And there shouldn't be too many of them. Being a Dragon Master should be something special."

"This all sounds great," agreed Hiccup. "Let's vote: who wants to do this thing with three kinds of dragon trainers?" Seven hands went up. "Great, it's unanimous. I'll make up some metal badges shaped like a dragon's head — iron for the Dragon Friends, copper for the Dragon Riders, and silver for the Dragon Master, if there is one."

"I nominate Hiccup to be the Dragon Master," Astrid said suddenly. "All in favor?" She, Fishlegs, and Snart raised their hands immediately; Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and finally Snotlout slowly raised theirs. "Great! It's official, Hiccup is our first Dragon Master." Hiccup looked embarrassed, but a sly look crept onto his face.

"And I nominate Snart to be our second Dragon Master!" he announced firmly.

"What? Me? What did I do? Do we need two Masters when there's only seven of us?"

"Hiccup is right," Astrid decided. "You did the same things he did. You trained a dragon all by yourself. You learned to fly. You've fought in a battle —"

"Flying along on that raid wasn't exactly a battle," Snart interrupted.

"I was thinking of the raid you broke up, actually," Astrid continued. "And there are more than seven of us; there are at least twenty people in Berk who have trained a dragon. You might not live here, but we need your help. You're important here." She turned to Hiccup, who nodded in support. "All in favor of making Snart a Dragon Master?" Again, three hands went up immediately, but this time, there were only three.

"What's the problem?" said Hiccup.

"There's one thing you did that Snart didn't do," answered Ruffnut. "He didn't teach anybody else how to train a dragon."

"Hmmm... yeah, I think you're right there, Ruff," nodded Hiccup slowly. "Snart, do you mind if we hold off on your Master pin?"

"Of course not, no problem at all," said Snart, who was actually slightly relieved.

"So is all of that settled?" asked Hiccup.

"No, it isn't," objected Snotlout. "Are you saying that somebody who pulls a sailor off a sinking ship is as good as us, who fought a Red Death and killed it?"

"I've got a simple answer for that," replied Snart. "Battle stars. If you've fought in a battle with your dragon, you get to wear a leather star under your metal dragon-head pin. Fight in two battles, you get two stars. Everyone will be able to see who the real dragon warriors are."

"I'm in favor of that!" agreed Snotlout, his hand raised. Every other hand went up as well.

"Well, I can see I've got work to do," mused Hiccup. "Let's see, one silver Dragon Master pin shaped like Toothless; six copper Dragon Rider pins, two Nadders, one Nightmare, one Gronckle, and two Zipplebacks; and one battle star for each of us, so far. And I can't make the Dragon Friend pins until I know what kinds of dragons people have trained. They'll have to come to me and tell me, and I'll have to decide if they've earned it. As if I didn't have enough to do!"

"I think the twins should be the ones people come to, to ask for Dragon Friend pins," suggested Astrid. "There's two of you, so you're easy to find, and it'll be good practice for you. All in favor?" Five hands went up. "Congratulations, you got the job!"

"Thanks," they said in unison, with identical lack of enthusiasm.

"Great," said Hiccup. "Now let's all head for the Mead Hall; I think I smell some venison cooking."


	10. Chapter 10

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 10

A/N Whump warning. I like happy endings, but sometimes the road from here to there is a rocky one.

**o**

Snotlout and Hookfang were cruising toward Snart's farm a few mornings later. Snotlout was in a foul mood. "Why can't he live in the village like the rest of us do? A village is a _lot_ easier to find than one farm out in the middle of nowhere. And why am I wasting my time delivering this? He should come to Berk and get his own Dragon Rider pin." Hookfang was enjoying the tailwind, and offered no comment.

When he finally located the farm, he found a strange scene there. The blue Deadly Nadder was lying on the ground in front of the farm house. Snart was kneeling next to it. Neither one was moving.

Snotlout didn't know what was happening, so as he usually did, he hid his feelings behind a mask of brashness. "What's the matter? Your dragon fall asleep on the roof and fell off?"

Snart just looked up at the young rider in silence, tears streaming down his face. Whatever else Snotlout was thinking of saying, it died in his throat.

"W- w- what happened?" he finally managed to stammer out.

Snart turned back to his dragon. "Tell Hiccup... tell him, whatever he wants, I can't do it."

"Ummm, yeah. Yeah, I'll tell him." Snotlout wasn't comfortable with emotional scenes; he couldn't wait to get away. He and Hookfang wasted no time in returning to Berk, leaving Snart to his solitude.

That solitude didn't last, though. Around mid-afternoon, five familiar dragons converged on the farm. Six riders dismounted and stood in silence next to the grieving rider. Astrid rested a hand on his shoulder; Hiccup got down on one knee beside him. "We're all so sorry," Fishlegs whispered.

"He was fine last night," Snart finally managed to say. "We went flying yesterday, nothing was wrong, everything was normal... He went to sleep on the roof like he always does, and I got up this morning, and..." He gestured helplessly at the dragon, whose vivid blue coloring was already fading.

"There's just so much we don't know about dragons," Hiccup said slowly. "We don't know if they get sick, or how long they live... there are some things we may never know."

"I know he was the best," Snart said, shaking his head. "He wasn't just a dragon, or a pet, or a flying warhorse. He was my friend."

"I understand," said Hiccup quietly. He noticed that the other five dragons were slowly forming a circle around the dead dragon. "What are they doing?"

"I don't know," said Snart, "but I can make a good guess. Help me take his saddle off." He and Hiccup struggled to remove the saddle, which hadn't come off since the day it was put on. "Everybody step back."

Once the humans were a safe distance away, the five dragons closed in. Toothless lifted his head and keened, an odd pulsating sound that Hiccup had never heard before. The other dragons joined in, Hookfang and Meatlug in the low registers, Stormfly, Barf and Belch in the high. They rocked their heads back and forth in unison for several minutes. Then they all stopped and looked at the dead dragon.

It wasn't possible to say which dragon fired first; maybe they all did it at once. All the humans had to look away from the blinding flashes of five dragons' flames all converging. When they stopped about a minute later, there was no trace of Skydancer, just a scorched patch of earth.

The riders stared, open-mouthed, motionless. Toothless stepped over to Hiccup and nudged him with his nose. Each of the other dragons tried to comfort their own riders. Snart just stared at the blackened earth.

He stepped a few paces away and stopped, his back to the others. After a moment, Hiccup quietly walked over and stood beside him.

"I appreciate you all coming out here," Snart said softly. "But I guess this is the last time. I'm not a dragon trainer any more."

"Snart, being a dragon trainer isn't all about the dragon," Hiccup began. "It's just as much about you as it is about him. It's about who you are, how you relate to dragons, and also how you relate to other dragon trainers. The time you spent with Skydancer changed you, Snart. You're not just a dirt farmer any more. In our book. you're still a dragon trainer, a dragon warrior, and... a Dragon Rider."

He paused and pulled Snart's copper pin out of his pocket. "You probably don't feel like wearing this right now, but you earned it, and you still deserve it. And we aren't done with you either. That's not how it is with friends. We may have to give you a lift to Berk and back, but we still want what you have to offer."

"Aren't you going to say the part about how I'll find another dragon some day?" Snart said, his voice flat and emotionless.

"Not today," Hiccup answered. "We do have a lot more dragons than riders, and maybe someday you _will_ train another one. But first, you've got to adjust to life without... you know."

"Skydancer! Don't be afraid to say his name."

"Skydancer," continued Hiccup. "You'll mourn him, just like you'd mourn a lost friend. You have to. But please remember, you're not alone."

Not alone? That was almost an alien thought. Snart looked up. The other six were standing nearby, with their dragons behind them. All eyes were on him, and they weren't eyes of pity or scorn. Yes, he would mourn. But he would survive.

Even without his dragon, he wasn't alone any more.


	11. Chapter 11

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 11

Snart's next few months were filled with the work of farming. These northlands had a short growing season; if he didn't get his seeds into the ground at just the right time, either they wouldn't grow, or they would be killed by frost before they could be harvested. Plowing the hard earth was hard work, but even this tough soil welcomed weeds that had to be pulled out by hand. He grew equal amounts of barley, wheat, and potatoes, along with a few vegetables, and all of them needed constant care.

But he still had plenty of time to miss his dragon. The early mornings were the worst. That was the time he would have heard heavy dragon footsteps on the roof as Skydancer paced back and forth on the ridgepole, waiting eagerly for his rider to get up and start the day. Now there was just silence.

He put the saddle away in his storage loft, carefully wrapped. He kept the Dragon Rider pin on his hearth; he made a point of wearing it whenever Hiccup called him to a meeting, which happened once or twice a month. The Dragon Training Academy was constantly busy, between discovering unfamiliar types of dragons, teaching people how to train the familiar ones, and strengthening their own understanding of these amazing creatures. It seemed as though they made new discoveries every day.

And Snart was on the outside, looking in.

One night, a ferocious thunderstorm broke. Snart had just finished carrying buckets of water for his crops that day, so the pouring rain was a mixed blessing. He sat inside by the fireplace, enjoying the warmth, hating the solitude, cringing at every loud thunderclap.

Then he heard another noise, one that followed each clap of thunder. A snarl? That's what it sounded like. He opened the front door and looked outside.

"Oh, joy. There's a dragon under the oak tree."

He could see it only by the light of the lightning flashes. It was about the same size as Skydancer, but it stood lower to the ground, and was lustrous purple in color. It had a much more sinister look about it, with taller back spines and a long, low head. What kind of dragon was this? Snart racked his brain for details he might have heard Fishlegs reciting from his Book of Dragons. It might be a Skrill, he thought to himself. If it was, then he had no idea how to approach it; no one in the Academy had ever trained a Skrill.

He found a fish in his cold storage and slowly approached the dragon. Someone might have reminded him that it wasn't smart to walk outside in a lightning storm and stand next to a tree, even if there wasn't a wild dragon there. But there was no one else there to warn him. The dragon looked straight at him, unlike Skydancer who had to turn his head to look at him. It let out a warning snarl when he got about ten feet away. He held up the fish and let the dragon catch its scent.

If he hoped to get a reaction, he was disappointed. The dragon obviously smelled the fish, but didn't move. He tried to take another step, and the dragon snarled again. "Okay, then," said Snart, trying to sound brave. "Here you go." He tossed the fish to the dragon, which caught it and swallowed it whole.

Snart hoped against hope that the dragon would try to share its food with him, but again, he was disappointed. The dark dragon let out another snarl, but this wasn't a warning. If its noises were anything like a Nadder's noises, this snarl meant "more." Snart found the last of his fish, and fed them to the dragon from ten feet away. It swallowed them all, and still it wouldn't let Snart come close.

"Well, dragon, I don't know what else to do for you. It's getting late, and I'm getting wet, and we're getting nowhere. So I'm going to bed. If you're still here in the morning, we'll talk about things." Snart turned and walked inside. He did not sleep well that night.

In the morning, he almost didn't dare look out his window. But the dark dragon was still there. He was almost positive it was a Skrill now. He had nothing left to feed it, but he was suspecting that the way to this dragon's heart might not be through its stomach.

He walked up as close to it as it would allow, then stopped. "Okay, dragon, it's your move. I don't know how to get through to you, but you wouldn't still be here if you didn't want something. So, you show me what's on your mind." The dragon did not respond. "It just rained, so I don't have to water my crops today. I've got all day free. If you want to be stubborn, I can be stubborn, too. And I bet _I've_ had more practice with dragons than _you've_ had with humans. So, what'll it be?" He folded his arms and waited.

After about ten minutes of this, the dragon finally stirred. It walked on all fours, like a Monstrous Nightmare, only more awkwardly; apparently it was built for the air. It crept around Snart in a big circle, never taking its eyes off him. It uttered low growls, its teeth bared. Snart was forcefully reminded that, although most dragons might enjoy human company, they were still wild animals. If the dark one decided to turn hostile, he had nothing with which to defend himself, not even a hay fork. He stood still and waited.

The dragon stopped. It looked beyond him, as though surprised that there were no other humans nearby. It looked back at him. It took a tentative step toward him, then another. Snart became aware of a strange sensation on his arms and legs. As the dragon got closer, he felt it on his head as well. It felt like every hair on his body was standing on end.

Now it was close enough to touch. But he fought the urge to reach out to it. He tried to memorize every detail of this encounter; he knew Fishlegs would want to know. He could feel its breath, hear each inhalation and exhalation. For a moment, it looked him squarely in the eye. Then it turned and half-ran, half-glided away to the edge of his land.

"Fine," he called to it. "When you decide what you want, I'll be here." To himself, he added, "I'm not sure this dragon is my style anyway." Still, once the dragon had wandered out of sight, he hitched up his pony and wagon for a "fish run" into Hulm.

These events repeated themselves over the next four days. The dragon would appear at night; Snart would feed it; in the daylight, it would circle him and check him out, but there was no moment of contact, no gaining of understanding. It never tried to share food with Snart, and it never let him touch it. Where the dragon went during the afternoon and evening, he had no idea. He couldn't escape the thought that, one of these days, the dragon would turn on him.

On the fifth day, late in the afternoon, it came back. It made the "more" snarl; Snart fed it a fish. Again it circled him, but this time it stopped about five feet away, and lay down on the ground. It tossed its head with a mild growl, then arched its neck in a gesture that Snart knew well.

"Are we going flying?" Snart made the riding gesture; the dragon growled and tossed its head again. "Okay, we'll try this." He slowly approached, laid a hand on the smooth neck, took a deep breath, and sat between two of the tall back spines.

"All right, dragon, I'm r—" and the dragon was skybound before he could say "ready." Skydancer had _never_ moved so fast! Once again, he felt fear in flying, but this wasn't the fear of falling or being dropped. This was the fear of riding a runaway horse, the fear that comes from being totally out of control. They were through the lower cloud layer in less than a minute, and still they went straight up.

They had to be close to a mile up when the Skrill finally leveled off. Now it glided silently, effortlessly, slowly nosing over into a dive. It folded its wings and plunged downward. At the last moment, it spread its wings and zoomed upward again. Three times it went up and down. Snart just held on for dear life. He decided the dragon was testing him.

At last, the thrill ride ended. The dragon leveled off and glided across the darkening landscape, allowing Snart to relax a little and enjoy the scenery. Just ahead of them was the village of Hulm; he hadn't seen it from the air in a long, long time.

But something was wrong. There were torches, and signs of running in the streets. One house looked like it was beginning to burn.

Another raid! And, judging by the fact that all the action was along the waterfront, the raiders had come by sea this time.

"Down there!" Snart stretched and pointed so the dragon could see his hand. "We need to go down there." The Skrill ignored him. He tried nudging its horns, like he used to do with Skydancer; the dragon shook its head and let out a warning snarl. He pointed again. This time, the dragon lined up on the village and went into a shallow, controlled dive.

As they got closer, he saw three longships tied up at the pier. His village had no war vessels; their fishing boats were shorter than that. "Dragon, do you see those ships?" He pointed. "We need to burn those ships. _Fire!_ Do you know what 'fire' means?"

If the dragon understood, it made no sign. But suddenly, a shaft of dazzling light shot out of its mouth and traced a line from the stern of one ship to its bow. Where the light hit, the wood burst into flame. The two sailors who had stayed with the ship tried to fight the fire with water buckets, but it spread too quickly, and they had to jump onto the pier.

"Good shot! Can you burn another one?" The dragon swooped over the dock, circled to the right, and made another fire pass. This time, the lightning fire crossed the decks of both remaining longships and set them both ablaze. The dragon turned and zoomed up the main street.

Ahead of them, a man with a shield and a hammer had just knocked a woman to the ground. He was raising his hammer for a killing blow. "That man there! Hit him!" The dragon dipped, and Snart felt a sudden jolt, as though the dragon's legs had struck something solid. He glanced back. The man's head was gone.

Apparently the raid had been going on for some time now. The raiders were returning to the docks with bags of stolen goods. At the sight of their flaming ships, they stopped in their tracks, unsure what to do next. The defenders were beginning to rally, cutting off any escape route over land; it sounded like Bustrib was in command. Soon, the raiders had formed a defensive circle, facing outward. They were trapped.

"If any of you surrenders now, I promise you won't be killed," Bustrib roared. Two of the raiders hesitantly left the circle. One was cut down by his own neighbor; the other ran for the dubious safety of the villagers he'd just raided, dropping his weapons on the way. Two warriors quickly grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.

Overhead, Snart sized up the situation. "Okay, dragon, we need to break them out of that circle. See that pile of drying seaweed in the middle of the circle, right there? Fire!" Once again the dazzling shaft of light flashed out, setting the weeds on fire. Snart directed several more blasts of fiery light into the circle, expanding the fire. As it grew bigger and hotter, the raiders had to move away from it, and eventually their circle broke up. The local defenders pounced without mercy. One raider took a wound and surrendered; all the others were cut down where they stood.

Snart knew better than to expect gratitude from Hulm, so he told the dragon, "Good work. Let's go home." The dragon snorted quizzically. "There's nothing left to fight! This was our first flight, and we broke up a raid, so your name is going to be Skyraider. It suits you. You... are Skyraider!" The dragon made a face that looked very much like a savage smile.


	12. Chapter 12

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 12

The next day, he took his wagon into town for some fish. Everyone was talking about the raid, and the dark dragon that had sunk three ships and broken up the raiders' circle. Snart was finishing up his deal with a fishing-boat skipper when he saw Bustrib approaching.

"Are you collecting different dragons now?" he demanded.

"That's my new dragon. The old one... is gone."

"I still don't trust those things," Bustrib rumbled, "but if you can keep them under control, then I'll find a way to deal with it. We're mounting a return raid, like we did the last time we got hit. We're going by sea this time. Want to join us? I like the idea of a flying scout."

"Will I get my share of the spoils this time?" Snart demanded, looking the bigger man in the eye.

"The men don't like dragons. They won't let you be an official part of the raiding party, so you won't get a share. Sorry, that's the way it has to be. Maybe I could sneak you a few goodies on the side. Or would you do it out of loyalty to your village?"

"Loyalty has to be earned, Bustrib, and Hulm hasn't done much to make me loyal." Snart had a sudden thought. "But if I'm _not_ part of the group, then the rules for the group don't apply to me, right?"

"Are you afraid we'll leave you behind?"

"It's the rule about 'not taking anything for yourself' I was thinking of. If I can't get a share of the group's loot, then I'll take my own loot, and no one can complain. Right?"

Bustrib thought for a moment. "Don't let the men see you do it. Our target is Machen Island, about two and a half days to the north by sea. We sail with the tide, which is a little after lunch."

"There's no reason for me to go all the way with you. My dragon can get me there faster than any ship, and I don't want him to scare those poor, fragile warriors of yours." Bustrib scowled. "I'll catch up with you just before you enter their harbor. If they try to fight on the docks, my dragon and I will make short work of them. He's a real fighter."

"I'll bet," grumbled Bustrib.

Snart spent the next two days teaching his dragon tricks and commands. Skyraider wasn't much interested in aerobatics, but he excelled at target practice. All Snart had to do was communicate his choice of targets, and those targets were reduced to ash in moments. With some practice, that communication became second nature to both of them. "This dragon lives to blow things up," Snart thought.

He tried to find out if Skydancer's saddle would fit, but the Skrill wanted no part of that. When Snart tried too hard to put it on him, the dragon flew away and didn't come back for half the day. Snart resigned himself to riding bareback.

On the third day, he hung a large leather bag over Skyraider's neck. The dragon accepted it when Snart explained that it wasn't a saddle, but was to be filled with stolen loot. The Skrill had no problem understanding _that_ abstract concept! Snart mounted up, pointed Skyraider in the right direction, and settled down for a fast ride.

Two hours later, they passed over the three ships of the Hulm raiding fleet. He circled them once, saw a few of them wave to him, and headed on into the harbor.

The village looked almost deserted. That was no surprise, seeing how all of their men had been killed in that last raid. Some of the women pointed at him, rushed inside, and came out with rakes, kitchen knives, and other improvised weapons. He heard Skyraider snort.

The women formed a line across the road from the docks to the village center. That might have been a good defense against warriors on land, but they weren't thinking three-dimensionally. Snart and Skyraider flew right over their line and landed in the middle of town. When the armed women turned and charged, Snart gave the "fire line" command, and Skyraider drew a smoking line in the dirt that stopped them in their tracks. It was time to put on a show of bravado. He didn't feel much bravado, although riding a dragon should have helped.

"What do you want from us?" one of them demanded.

Snart stepped off the dragon and unslung his bag. "I want this bag filled with non-perishable food, good winter boots, and anything made of silver. If I don't get what I want, and get it fast, my dragon here will start burning your village down, one house at a time."

"Thief!" called someone from behind the main row of women.

"It's the Viking way," shrugged Snart. "_Your_ men didn't worry about being thieves when they raided _my_ village."

"Where are our men?" a tall woman in front asked.

Snart shrugged again. "When Vikings go on raids, sometimes people get hurt. Now, am I going to get my goods, or does my dragon have to lose his temper?" Most of the women scattered to their houses, where they soon emerged with the things Snart wanted.

Meanwhile, three of the women remained. "Are... are all the men dead?" the tall one asked. She wore a heavy ring of keys on her belt, a sign of authority.

"I think there were two survivors; one surrendered, and the other was captured wounded. The one who surrendered was claimed by one of our women, to replace her husband who was killed in the raid. I hear that man is a solid fisherman and is adjusting to his new life. His name is Icebit."

The tall woman relaxed somewhat. "Icebit is my brother." The other women had almost filled his bag by now. Then came a cry from the waterfront — "Raiders! Three strange ships entering the harbor!" Once again, the women took up their "weapons" and lined up to bar the harbor road.

"Don't fight them!" shouted Snart. "You'll lose, and your village will be a ghost town. Give them what they want and they'll go." The women held a quick conference, and every one of them ran for the edge of the village. When the Hulm warriors landed and charged into the town, no one was there but Snart.

"What's in the bag?" one of them demanded.

"Fish for the dragon," answered Snart with a shrug, as though the answer was obvious. The raiders tried hard to pretend that the dragon wasn't there as they searched the village for anything worth stealing. It took them less than an hour; then they returned to their ships without another word to Snart, and set sail for home, congratulating themselves on another outstanding raid.

Snart waited after they left. When asked afterwards, he couldn't give a good reason why. When the women returned to their village, he was still in the center of the town, standing beside his dragon. They surrounded him at a respectful distance. "What more do you want?" the tall one demanded.

"I just... wanted to be sure you were safe, that's all," Snart stammered.

"Safe?" cried the tall one. "Your people slaughtered our men, and _now_ you care about our safety? Are you going to be here when the next bunch of raiders comes through? Are you going to save us from being carried off, or worse? You've left us defenseless! Curse your eyes!" The other women shouted support for her.

Snart gazed at her thoughtfully. The women of this village had real spirit. Too bad they knew nothing about fighting. An idea occurred to him...

"If I could arrange to have this village defended with some real firepower, would you be interested?"

"What do you suggest? Are you going to take one of us as your wife, and live here with us?" A few of them tittered at the thought.

"No, what I suggest is that I'll teach one of you how to ride a dragon. You'll have your own dragon warrior who's totally loyal to Machen. Would that do?"

They all went silent at that. Finally, a short, plump woman asked, "What kind of dragon warrior are you looking for?"

"She needs to be young and single; training a dragon is a lot of work, and you can't do that and raise children at the same time. She needs her parents' permission, and she needs to be fearless, of dragons and of heights."

Five women turned to the tall one all at once and said, "Hildi."

"My daughter Hildi is the one you're looking for," the tall one said, with a trace of growing relief. "She's always been a handful, but I can see her on a dragon. It might be good for her, as well as for us."

"Where is this Hildi?"

"She's probably in one of the upstairs windows, trying to decide whether you or your dragon should be the target for her spear. Hildi! Come down! This dragon-man has an offer for you."

After half a minute, an equally tall teen-age girl stepped out of a nearby house, holding a spear as her mother had predicted. She was not beautiful, but her eyes were fiery and spirited and her bearing proud. She locked eyes with Snart. "I can guess what you want with me. I should warn you, I've got a temper and I'm stronger than I look."

"You guessed wrong, Hildi. How would you like to be a dragon rider?"

Her eyes went wide. After several seconds, her mother remarked, "That's the first time in her _life_ she's been speechless. I like the effect of dragons on her already. You have my consent to train her, dragon-man, as long as you train her in dragons and _nothing else_, do I make myself clear?"

Snart was amused at how this defeated woman was suddenly giving him orders. "Perfectly, _Frue_. How about it, Hildi? Could there be a dragon in your future?" After another long pause, she nodded. "Okay. Then we'll take a quick test flight around the village, and see how you handle it. Sit here, in front of me, between these spines." The young woman awkwardly seated herself on the thick neck. The Skrill rumbled a low protest, but didn't stop her.

"Hold on tight. This dragon takes off like —" He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence before Skyraider leaped upward, slamming Hildi back against him. He didn't put on the wild ride that Snart had had to endure on his first flight, though. He just went straight up for about a thousand feet, then rolled level and slowed down.

Hildi had let out one quick scream during the climb, but now she was totally entranced by the view. "I can see everything! There's the fish hall, and the Mead Hall, and that must be the smithy, and — oh! That's my house!" She was so enthusiastic, he hated to end the ride.

She was bubbling over when they landed. "Oh, Mother, you can't _imagine_ what it's like to see everything from that high up! I don't know if I can ever go back to the ground again."

"You may not have to, Hildi," Snart interjected. "You passed all my tests. I'll be back for you early tomorrow morning; you need to dress warmly and bring some food. We'll fly to the island of Berk, where the dragons are. I will help you find one that likes you, we will fly back here, and I'll start training you so you can train your dragon." He realized that he sounded very matter-of-fact about things that must sound like fairy tales to his listeners.

He turned to the girl's mother. "Finding the right dragon might take half a day, or it might take three or four days. We never know with dragons. I promise you, I will take good care of her in every way. _Every_ way!"

"If you keep your promise, dragon-man, I'll be very surprised."

"Just because I'm a Viking doesn't mean I'm a villain. Your island will have its defender, and you will have your daughter. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Skyraider, up and away!" The Skrill made an even faster climb this time, with a corkscrew turn on the way up, before rolling out and heading for the farm at full speed.

"Some Viking he is!" one of the women commented. "He forgot his bag of loot."

**o**

A/N

_Frue_ — ma'am


	13. Chapter 13

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 13

Fishlegs was trying out one of Gobber's new creations. Now that the one-armed smith didn't have to spend every waking hour forging weapons to fight dragons with, he had time to indulge some of his wilder ideas. He had noticed how a glass beer mug made the table underneath it look bigger, and he'd turned this thought into a tubular device that, he assured Fishlegs, would make distant things look closer.

"I see something!" the big youth exclaimed, pointing the tube toward the nearby coast. "It's big, and kind of ridgy, and pink..."

"That's your finger. Move your hand away from the end!" ordered Gobber. Fishlegs complied.

"Now everything's all blurry. You said to slide the front of this thing back and forth? Hey, that's better. Hey, that's — _wow!_ It works! I can see the rocks on the shore, and _everything!_" He fell silent as he swept the device along the shoreline.

"Can you use it to see that dragon up there?" Gobber wanted to know. Fishlegs swung the tube up and around until he could see the dragon Gobber had pointed at.

"There it is, I see it. What _is_ that? I don't recognize that dragon. It looks like it — _Hiccup!_" He tossed the tube to Gobber, who nearly dropped it, and ran for the Academy. "Hiccup, there's a strange dragon up there, and it has _two_ riders! Hiccup!"

By the time he found the Dragon Master, the strange dragon had swept across the village, turned back, and was lining up to land on the sea cliff. "No use trying to send up a welcoming committee now," shrugged Hiccup. "Let's go meet the new arrivals and see where they're from."

The newcomers' landing touched off pandemonium. "It's Snart!" cried Astrid, who raced over to greet him. The dark dragon let out a warning snarl, stopping her in her tracks. Snart swung off the dragon, followed by a tall young woman, and greeted his friends warmly.

"Is that a Skrill?" asked Fishlegs wonderingly.

"I think so," nodded Snart. "His name is Skyraider. I've been working with him for about three days, and I don't think he's really civilized yet."

"How did you train him?" asked Hiccup.

"I'm not sure 'trained' is the right word," Snart admitted. "He isn't really a friend like Skydancer was. He might stay with me for life, or he might take off on me tomorrow; I just can't tell."

"Come to the Academy and rest," Astrid urged him. "We want to hear all about it. Especially Fishlegs, I'm sure. And we want to get to know...?" She glanced at the young woman.

"Hildi. She's from Machen Island; she's here to find a dragon to ride. I promised I would train her." He turned back to his dragon. "Skyraider, there are plenty of fish in those big trays on land, just like I promised. Eat all you want." The dragon started to walk inland — and stopped. He had caught sight of Toothless, who was padding up from the Academy floor. They exchanged angry snarls and began circling each other.

"Shouldn't we break them up?" Ruffnut asked.

"If _you_ want to get in the middle of a dragon fight, you go right ahead," retorted Tuffnut. "I'll stay here. It'll be fun to watch."

"Are they going to fight?" asked Hildi anxiously.

"They're both Strike Class, so they're both smart and strong-willed," recited Fishlegs. "Toothless thinks he's the number one dragon around here. Your Skyraider doesn't seem to agree."

"Personally, I hope Toothless teaches him a lesson," Snart said. The others looked at him, startled. "Maybe Skyraider would be easier for me to work with if he quit thinking he was the king of the world. If anyone can bring him down a notch, it's Toothless." They watched the two dark dragons size each other up.

Suddenly, the Skrill unleashed a bolt of his electric fire. "He shot at Toothless!" exclaimed Hiccup, suddenly very worried about his dragon. Astrid held him back.

"And he missed," added Fishlegs.

"No, he never misses," corrected Snart. "Toothless dodged it."

"Are you trying to tell me Toothless is faster than lightning?" Snotlout demanded.

"No, but it looks like he's faster than a dragon that _shoots_ lightning," Snart answered.

Skrill lightning-fire flashed out again, and again, Toothless jumped and the firebolt missed. This time, Toothless shot back just before he landed. The Skrill was also quick, and was able to dodge the shot.

Skyraider roared at the smaller dragon. Toothless roared back, but he shot another fireball in the middle of his roar. The surprise shot hit the ground just in front of the Skrill, and the blast blew him into the air and over the edge of the cliff. A moment later, he reappeared, flapping hard as he flew out to sea, roaring his frustration to the waves.

"I've never seen a fight like that before," intoned Fishlegs.

"I don't want to see one again," added Hiccup. "Snart, do you think your dragon is okay?"

"He's flying normally, so he's probably fine. He's plenty mad, though. He may not be back for a while. So let's visit the Academy. I want to catch up on the news, and I'm sure you're curious about my dragon."

"Curious" was an understatement. They asked him to repeat every detail of his experience with the Skrill, while Fishlegs took copious notes. They agreed that this training had gone differently than any other that they'd heard of. All were overjoyed that Snart had found another dragon. They also wanted to know Hildi's story. She left out the part where Snart tried to steal her people's valuables (he'd thank her for that later), but she told the rest in great style. Snart decided that, if she washed out as a dragon rider, she could be a superb storyteller.

"So, you're here to find your own dragon?" asked Astrid.

"Snart said you have a lot more dragons than trainers here," Hildi replied.

"We can always use more trainers," nodded Hiccup. "I'm a little busy this morning; can we wait until the afternoon?"

"Actually, I was going to take care of that," Snart cut in. "I spent our flight time teaching her about the different kinds of dragons, and how the war ended, and what the Academy is doing, so she already knows the basics. I know my way around Berk, and I can teach her what she needs to know."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed, then widened. "O-o-okay, sure, that works. Of course, it makes a little more work for me, but I'm getting used to that from you."

"What do you mean, Hiccup?"

"Well, for one thing, now that you've broken up another raid, that means I have to make you another battle star."

Snotlout didn't like that. "Hey, how come he gets two and we only get one?"

"Maybe it's because he's taken his dragons into two battles, and we've only been in one?" asked Astrid, a bit tartly.

"But what about that battle we had right here in the training floor, when Dagur the Deranged was here? Didn't that count as a dragon battle?"

"Snotlout, that was a fake battle," Hiccup cut in. "It was just an act; there wasn't any real fighting."

"I bet, if we asked Dagur, he'd say it was real," Ruffnut suggested.

"Yeah, and I bet he'd say he won, too," nodded Tuffnut.

"Well, I guess that settles it," shrugged Hiccup. "If an expert like Dagur thinks it was a real dragon battle, then we all get another battle star."

That went over well with everyone. "Yeah, we rule!" shouted Ruffnut, pumping her fist.

"If nobody minds, I've got a potential dragon trainer who's ready to go," Snart said. "Hildi, shall we go find your dragon?"

"I can't wait!" The two left the Berk natives to their Academy business and strolled into the village streets.


	14. Chapter 14

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 14

"It doesn't really seem like Hiccup is in charge," Hildi commented.

"He doesn't rule with an iron hand, if that's what you mean," Snart explained. "He relies on Fishlegs to get the facts, and on Astrid to help him with right and wrong, but he's the decision maker. He has the best 'feel' for the dragons, and he's also the best at getting different people to stop disagreeing and work together."

"And what good are the other three?"

"They're his friends, and he's very loyal. I, for one, am thankful for that. Practically speaking, they keep him on his toes, and sometimes they come up with good ideas. Like these Dragonbags we're carrying; they were Snotlout's idea."

"You mean these backpacks we picked up at the Academy?"

"They're more than just backpacks," Snart corrected her. "The main section is waterproof and smellproof, so we can carry fish around. The side pocket is long and thin, to carry dragon-nip grass. And the rope straps are really the ends of a length of rope that's coiled in the bottom. Rope can be a really handy thing to have."

"And Snotlout thought of these?"

"Hiccup invented them, but Snotlout gave him the idea. He was complaining about how the dragon trainers never had the stuff they needed when they needed it, and that made Hiccup think of a way to carry everything a trainer really has to have, all at once."

"Clever," she said. "So when are you going to tell me how to train a dragon?"

"It depends on what kind of dragon you try to train. They're all different. When you find one that's reacting well to you, I'll tell you what to do."

She stopped and turned to face him, beginning to get angry. "I don't like it when people keep secrets from me, especially if I'm going to be facing wild dragons."

"What do you want me to say, Hildi? There are at least fifteen different kinds of dragons I can think of, probably more. They all have their own strengths, their own weaknesses, their own list of do's and don't's... if I tried to tell you everything now, there's no way you'd remember what you need when the moment comes. You have to learn to trust your dragon, and you have to trust me."

"Trust you? A raider who stole from my village? That's not what I call a foundation for trust."

"Yeah, well, I didn't do a very good job of that. Besides, I didn't tell you any lies. Liking me and trusting me are two different things. Now, you can let me get you started in dragon training, or you can wait until Hiccup or one of the others has the time. Either way, once you get home, you'll have to rely on me for the rest of your training, so you might as well start trusting me now."

She stared at him levelly for a few seconds. "Okay. What's the plan?"

"We'll wander out of the village, up to the unused grazing lands where the wild dragons rest. I think all the dragons that hang out in town are already trained by somebody. You're going to make eye contact with every dragon you see. If you get some kind of response, get a fish ready, and I'll tell you what to do."

"I hope I get a Monstrous Nightmare," she said eagerly. "No one would ever mess with Machen again if I had one of those."

"It could happen, but you can't just pick whichever dragon you want; the dragon has a say in the matter, too. You can train just about any dragon to eat out of your hand, but if you want one to be your friend, there's some give-and-take involved; you can't force it. Keep your mind open. With a clever rider, any dragon can break up a raid."

"Even a Terrible Terrier?"

"Terror," Snart corrected her. "Nobody has really tried to train those; they can't do much on their own, and they're uncontrollable in a flock. Let's just say that, if you can ride it, you can rule the skies with it." They were passing out of the village, headed for a field where sheep had overgrazed. The field was lying unused this year while the grass grew back, which made it a perfect place for dragons to rest between the free meals they got in Berk.

"Rule the skies," she repeated. "Against anything except another dragon rider. What if you and Skyraider try to raid Machen again; then what happens?"

Snart considered. "I don't think a dragon will fight another dragon on command, except to protect its own rider. If I tried to flame a building in your town, all you'd have to do is get in the way, and my dragon wouldn't shoot. So you and I would probably wind up flying in circles, calling each other bad names, until my dragon got tired and I had to go home. You'd have the advantage, flying over your own town instead of coming in from miles away." That answer seemed to satisfy her.

The first dragon they found was an orange Monstrous Nightmare, stretched out and snoring. Hildi started to approach it, but Snart grabbed her shoulder. "Don't you remember that childhood saying, 'Let sleeping dragons lie'? Well, it's really good advice, especially with the Stoker Class. Startle _them_ when they're asleep, and they tend to flame first and ask questions later. Let's keep looking."

They passed three or four Gronckles, at least eight Deadly Nadders, and a Zippleback. All were awake, but none of them showed any interest in the two humans. "I don't get it," Hildi complained. "You said I wouldn't have any trouble finding a dragon. None of these stupid lizards has any... what are you smiling at?"

"You have a strong right-handed bias, Hildi. Look over your left shoulder." She did so — and found herself staring into the right eye of a blue Nadder, less than three feet away.

"Is that enough interest for you, Hildi? No, no — _don't_ touch his face, not yet! Offer him a fish." She fumbled with the cover of the Dragonbag, pulled out a haddock, and held it out at arm's length. The Nadder looked at it, then at her, then lunged and snapped up the fish. Hildi quickly checked to make sure all her fingers were still there.

"That's good, Hildi, you've got his attention now. Slowly step back and approach him from the tail end."

She looked at all the upright spines. "The _tail_? You can't be serious!"

"I can. Approach him from the tail, and say nice things to him. Show him you're not a threat."

"Snart, I don't think you've been here very long. Can't you see those —"

"_Hil_-di, do what I _tell_ you..." Snart's voice was sing-song smooth, but his face was darkening. "That's how you approach a wild _Nad_-der. And don't forget to say the nice things. Do it, before something else distracts him."

The young woman hestitantly obeyed. "He certainly — I mean you certainly have a pretty color, dragon. The girly-girls in Machen would probably try to match your color with their outfits if they rode on you. And your spines are so... venomous." She hesitantly reached for the tail. "I'm stroking it, Snart. Nothing's happening. If one of those spines scratches me, how fast does the poison work?"

"Those spines are for your enemies, Hildi, not for you. Keep stroking him." As he spoke, the spines began to relax.

"It's working! He's doing it! Oh, dragon, you're beautiful! Snart, what do I do next?"

As Snart took a breath to answer, the Nadder began vibrating its throat. It turned its head to face Hildi, and deposited a piece of haddock on the ground next to her feet. "You told me about this and your first dragon. Do I have to do what you said you did?" she asked hesitantly. He nodded.

She picked up the fish and took a bite. "Yecch! I hope I only have to do this once." The dragon gazed at her; she hesitantly reached out and stroked its neck. The dragon half-closed its eyes and rumbled contentedly.

"He's yours," whispered Snart, blinking back a tear. The dragon was a little bigger than Skydancer had been, and lighter in color; it could pass for Stormfly's twin brother. "You two, get to know each other. He probably won't let you fly on him today, but nothing's for sure with a dragon. Give him all the fish he wants. I'll be at the Academy. Join us before the sun goes down." He turned and slowly walked away.

As he passed through town, he saw Fishlegs leaving the Mead Hall. The big young man hustled to catch up with him. "Snart, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What's on your mind, big guy?"

"Everybody thinks I'm this walking book. If they have a question about what dragons can do, they come to me. But when it comes to actually training one, it's like I'm not even here. It's all Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup!"

"Then maybe you need to break out of that mold, and do something that makes people realize you're not just a walking — hey, _watch_ it!" They both ducked as two Terrible Terrors flapped by. One was holding the head of a fish, the other held the tail, and neither one would let go, no matter how close they came to hitting people.

"I'd love to, Snart, but what can I do that the others aren't already doing?"

"Why don't you do something with the Terrors? Nobody else is working with them. They're small, and they're always in the way, but they aren't stupid. They have to be good for _something!_ Find out what. That would be your own specialty, and because there are so _many_ of the little things, it could be an important specialty."

"Hmmm." Fishlegs rubbed his chin as he thought. "You might be right... maybe I'll try it. Yeah! Thanks for the idea!" He ran off, already lost in thought. Snart spent the rest of the day sitting on the sea cliff, watching for his dragon to return.

When he finally gave up, just before the supper hour, he returned to the Academy. Hildi was enthusiastically swapping Nadder stories and girl-talk with Astrid; Hiccup was talking to a Viking woman about some kind of problem she was having with her Gronckle; Ruffnut and Tuffnut were scrubbing Barf and Belch with stiff brushes, while Snotlout reclined nearby and called out suggestions to them; and Fishlegs was lost in the Book of Dragons, bringing the Terrible Terror's pages up to date. "I really like this place," Snart thought.

"Hey, you're back!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Excuse me a moment, _Frue_. Snart, you're just in time."

"In time for what?"

"In time to check out my newest project. I told you, you make extra work for me." Hiccup pulled something small out of his pocket. It was a silver pin shaped like the head of a Skrill. "The only reason you didn't get this earlier was because you never passed on your training to someone else. Today, you did it. Hildi says she kind of made it hard for you, but you kept your cool, and your student trained a dragon. And you've also done something no one else has done — you've trained two dragons for yourself. So take off that copper pin, Dragon Master, and wear this one. You've earned it."

Snart was speechless as the others applauded. He reached for the pin, but Hiccup closed his hand, took Snart's with his other, and looked straight into his eyes. "Snart, no more going on raids, okay?" he said quietly. "Hildi told us about it. I know it's the Viking thing to do, and you want to be a warrior, but we're trying to show people that they don't have to be afraid of dragons."

Snart looked at the floor, embarrassed. "No more raids. I promise." Then he chuckled ruefully. "I'm not giving up much. I've been on two raids, I never hurt anybody, and I never got one piece of loot. I must be the worst Viking who ever lived."

Hiccup smiled wryly. "Sorry, that title is already taken. But there's more than one way to be a Viking. We're exploring those other ways, and you've been a big help to us already. Let's stay on the same road together. Deal?"

"Deal," said Snart.


	15. Chapter 15

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 15

Skyraider finally returned late next morning. He showed no interest in the fish trays on land, so he must have eaten while at sea. Hiccup and Toothless had flown off to the north in search of an overdue fishing boat, so there was no repeat of yesterday's battle for dominance.

Hildi couldn't wait to reunite with her dragon. Snart followed her to the pasture to watch her progress. She had no problem telling him apart from the other Nadders, which was a good sign.

"What should I name him?" she asked as she rubbed his neck and face.

"Something that reflects who he is," Snart answered. "Something dignified, so other riders won't laugh when they hear the name."

"Like Barf and Belch?"

He snorted. "Yeah, that's a real good example to _not_ follow. Don't force it; there's no hurry. Something will happen that triggers your imagination, and you'll know what his name is."

At that moment, the dragon bounded away from her and landed ten feet away, head down, wings out. She took a few stutter-steps toward him, then lunged to touch his nose; he bounded away again. He was having a playful moment, as all dragons do from time to time, and she was responding well. Snart just watched, approving.

The fourth time, the dragon didn't jump away, but stayed in that head-down, wings-out position. "If I didn't know better," Snart thought, "I'd swear he wants her to ride him."

He did want her to. And she did, without hesitation. A moment later, they soared up into the air. From what he could see, she was doing everything right — holding on with her legs, guiding the dragon by nudging the horns instead of pulling them, pointing and letting the dragon turn his head to see. So she'd been _watching_ him during that two-hour flight from Machen! Good. He could live with a strong-willed student, as long as she was willing to learn. They zoomed by at high speed, and he heard Hildi let out a whoop of triumph.

The new dragon-and-rider team didn't come down for almost an hour. Her blonde hair was whipped into total disarray, and her eyes were watering from the wind she'd been facing into. She grabbed his hands, bubbling over with excitement. "That was the most amazing thing _ever!_ He let _me_ be in control! We just flew, and flew, and flew! Me, Hildi who's never been anything but trouble, I'm going to be a dragon rider!"

"Wrong, Hildi. You _are_ a dragon rider. I'll speak to Hiccup about your Dragon Friend pin. You just took the first step on the most awesome journey a Viking has ever taken."

"First step? What happens next?"

"Now that you and your dragon can fly, we can take you home. You'll want to see a leatherworker about getting a saddle made, so you can stay on when you and your Nadder pull some crazy aerial stunts. We'll arrange to meet once a week or so, either at Machen or at my farm, so I can check on how you're doing. Within a few months, you probably won't need me any more, unless a crisis happens. You will be the Queen of the Skies of Machen!"

"Oh, please!" Hildi sputtered. "My mother is always saying I want to be queen of something. I don't! I just want to be different from everybody else."

"You got your wish, Hildi. From this moment, you are officially different from everybody else on Machen Island. And speaking of different, here comes Toothless." They watched as the Night Fury backwinged and landed gently in the field near them. Hiccup dismounted easily and walked over to them.

"So, how's the training going?" he asked.

"We flew!" Hildi exclaimed, still grinning hugely.

"On your second day? Very nice. I think you two are going to make a good team."

"Hiccup, why'd you land up here?" Snart wanted to know.

"I thought it would be best to keep Toothless here, away from Skyraider, you know what I mean?"

"We're probably headed home today, so we won't keep Toothless away from his home for long. How did your search go?"

"Not well," Hiccup answered, shaking his head. "It's hard to search for something at sea, where there aren't any landmarks to go by."

"Don't you have dragons and riders who are trained for ocean search?" Snart asked.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup looked startled.

"Like you say, searching the ocean isn't an easy thing to do. This is a fishing village; fishing boats must get in trouble all the time. You ought to have a small team of dragons and riders who practice flying at sea all the time, so you can launch a search or a rescue mission when you need to, and they'll know how to do it."

Hiccup let out a deep breath. "Man, I wish you lived around here so you could share ideas like that all the time. I can't believe I never thought of that! I'll put Astrid in charge of it; everybody knows Nadders can fly the longest distances, so they'll be the best dragons for the job. She'll pick a few Dragon Friends and train them, and we'll have a team of, uhhh, Sea Dragons."

"And they should get their own badge," Hildi added. "Maybe an ocean wave to go under their dragon-head badge. If they're going to do special work, they should get a special symbol for it."

"I should have known — more work for the guy who makes the badges," sighed Hiccup. "At least I don't have to make a Dragon Friend badge for you, Hildi. I've already got one; I saved a few extras when I made the first batch. We'll pin it on you when we get to the Academy." The three of them walked toward the village together.

Right after lunch, the residents of Berk said goodbye to their guests. Snart, with his gleaming Dragon Master pin, mounted up on Skyraider, while Hildi, proudly wearing her Dragon Friend pin, climbed onto her dragon's neck. Snart counted, "Three, two, one, UP!" and both dragons soared skyward.

"We've got two hours before we get to Machen," Snart called, "so we'll do a little training and practicing on the way. We'll start by teaching your dragon 'left' and 'right'." Hildi's Nadder was a quick learner.

"Do I have to use the exact same commands you do?" she asked after a while.

"No, as long as your commands are easy to understand. For instance, don't tell your dragon to go 'higher,' because that sounds like 'fire,' and you _don't_ want your dragon to get confused on that one. That's why I use the command 'up'."

"That makes sense. What command would you use to say 'What's that moving thing on the path down there'?" She pointed.

"I'd say, 'Skyraider, down, right, fly slow', and then I'd take a closer look." They descended to about two hundred feet, flying almost wingtip to wingtip. "What do you see, Hildi?"

"I see three wagons pulled by ponies, and thirty or forty men on foot. Armed men. If I had to guess, I'd call it a slow-moving raid."

"That's what I see. And Hulm is the next village on this path. I'm going to land just around that bend, so they'll turn the corner and find a dragon. As soon as they stop moving, you land behind them and cut off their retreat. Safeguard your dragon; don't let them get too close." She made a hand gesture that probably meant "yes" and broke away from him as Skyraider backwinged and landed.

The first men around the corner took one look at the dragon and stopped in their tracks, as Snart had expected. As others came up behind them, they quickly got themselves knotted so tightly that the wagons couldn't get around the corner, and the whole raiding party stopped dead. A shout of "Look out, there's a dragon behind us!" told Snart that Hildi was doing her part. He dismounted slowly, trying to act smooth.

"Where are you fellows headed?" he asked the leader.

"Who wants to know?" was the insolent reply.

"A man with a dragon wants to know, and the dragon has a real bad temper." Skyraider let out a menacing snarl at that moment — his timing could not have been more perfect. Snart half-turned toward him. "Not yet, Skyraider. I know you want to show your stuff, but I'm under orders to cut down on the violence."

"Under orders?" queried the leader. "Who gives a dragon orders?"

"The Dragon Training Academy, that's who. But that's enough questions out of you. Who are you and where are you going?"

The raiders' answer was a spear, thrown by someone a few rows back. Snart started to dodge it, but there was no need. A brilliant flash of lightning fire caught the spear in mid-air and vaporized most of it. The molten metal that had been the spearhead hissed as it sank into the moist ground at Snart's feet. The raiders stared in shock.

"I asked you a question," Snart repeated, "and I'm not going to ask you again. Either I get some answers, or you get some ashes where your friends used to be." He folded his arms and glared at them.

"We're from Sag village, down the coast," the leader finally admitted. "The Berserkers raided us, carried off our women, and burned everything to the ground. We're all that's left. So we'll travel around, raid some village like the one up ahead, mourn the ones we lost in the raid, live on what we steal for a while, then do it again, until we're all gone. It's our only option; it's the Viking way."

"Really?" asked Snart. "Something else I learned at the Dragon Academy is that there's more than one way to be a Viking." He cupped his hands to his mouth. "Hildi! Fly over here and join me!"

Half a minute later, Hildi and her dragon swooped to a landing on the path. "Are we letting them turn around and get away?" she asked with some dismay.

"No, we're going to try a different kind of solution to a few problems." He turned to the raider chief. "If I told you about a village that lost all its men, where you could settle down, marry some spirited women, and make a life for yourselves, _far_ away from the Berserkers, would you be interested?"

"We'd think about it," was the quick reply.

"Hildi, if we showed up at your village with a bunch of brave, resourceful men who know how to fight, do you think the women would be interested in them?"

"I... I don't know," she stammered, taken totally by surprise by the question.

"Do you think you can find your way home yourself, and find out?"

"Yes, I know the way. I was watching for landmarks as we flew out. I, uhh... I wasn't sure I could trust you to bring me home."

"Good move," Snart nodded. "Fly home and ask whoever's in charge how they'd feel about a couple of dozen homeless Viking men. We'll be heading that way on the path, but you should get there and back before we've gone very far. I'll herd them along; you get us an answer from your village."

"I'm on my way," she answered as she remounted. "Three, two, one, UP!" and away she went.

"What happens next?" asked the leader.

"You're going to stay on the path, and when it forks in about two miles, you're going to take the inland route. I'm going to fly overhead and keep an eye on you. If my little plan works, I'll give you directions and put you in Hildi's care. If it's a bad idea... I'll think of something else. Get your party straightened out and moving. Don't try anything I might not like." He mounted his dragon easily. "Skyraider, up!" The dragon leaped heavenward with a growl; he seemed frustrated that there had been no battle.

It was nearly sunset when Hildi returned, flying fast. "Sorry, I couldn't just land and leave again," she apologized as she flew close to Skyraider.

"Of course not. I'm sure all your friends and relatives wanted to hear all about your last two days, and check out the village's new dragon. So, what's the word?"

"They're in favor of it. They thought I was joking at first, but once I convinced them I really meant it, they only took about ten minutes to decide. I think that's a record for our village council. My mother says the leader sounds like a good catch."

"Great news! I'll explain things to them, and then you and your dragon will be in charge. You can guide them home better than I can, once we get a little further north."

"So my first mission as a dragon rider is a success?" she asked excitedly.

"No, Hildi, your first mission as a dragon rider is a total failure. You trained a dragon so you could protect your village from raiders, and what's the first thing you do? You're leading a band of raiders right into the village!" He grinned. After a moment, she did, too.


	16. Chapter 16

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 16

As spring turned into summer, Snart had to learn to balance his farm work with his responsibilities as a dragon trainer. Skyraider wanted to fly with him daily, sometimes twice a day, but would often disappear for hours at a time. He met with Hildi once a week to monitor her progress (which was rapid) and keep an eye on the state of her dragon. And he flew out to Berk and back about once a month, partly to keep track of new developments there, partly because he liked it there.

One Friday, with Skyraider absent and Hildi due soon, Snart took a break from digging up weeds and looked to the sky. A dragon was approaching, but it wasn't from Hildi's direction, and it wasn't Hildi's dragon. Nothing else in the sky could be mistaken for a Gronckle. It had to be Fishlegs.

That's who it was, and he had a Terrible Terror perched on one shoulder. He walked up to Snart, shoved the Terror in his face, and exclaimed, "Snart! Snart! This is Snart!"

"Thanks, but I already knew my name pretty well," Snart protested, backing away to get the Terror out of his face. "What are you doing with that thing?"

"Watch this!" Fishlegs spoke to the Terror. "Find Snart! Find Snart!" The little dragon took off, circled the farmyard once, and landed on Snart's shoulder.

"Ow!" screamed Snart as he clutched at his shoulder. The dragon, startled, flew straight up about eight feet.

"Sorry. I forget how sharp those claws are sometimes. Find Fishlegs, Terror!" The Terror flew back to Fishlegs' shoulder, which was well-padded.

"Did you come all this way just to show how you can maul me from a distance?"

"I did what you said, Snart. I started working with Terrible Terrors, and do you know what? They can recognize faces! All I have to do is train them, like I just did with you, and when I say your name, he'll search until he finds you. I've trained him for everyone in the Academy, all the leaders of Berk, all the ship's captains, and now you."

"Excellent, Fishlegs, now you can shred the shoulders of anyone who's important, just by saying the word. I still don't get it."

"You don't get it? I can tie leather tubes onto a Terrible Terror, and send a written note to anybody who matters. And they can send one back. I can also send hand tools or anything else small. And do you know what's really weird? If I train one Terror, they _all_ get it. I don't know if they talk to each other, or if it's some kind of mystical knowledge thing, but I can use any Terror in Berk to send messages. Now, when somebody wants to get a note to somebody, it's not 'Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup.' Now, it's 'Fishlegs, Fishlegs, Fishlegs.' I'm a real somebody at last!"

"Awesome! Fishlegs, I knew you could do it. That is really clever; I never would have thought of it. What are you going to do next — put a Terror on every fishing boat so they can send a distress signal?"

"I thought of that, Snart. They won't stay on the ship unless the captain trained them, and the captains don't want to waste their time on little dragons. They want to go flying on a dragon's back, like everybody else. I just wanted to thank you for the idea. It's just like you said — now that we know what they're good for, I'm the expert, and everybody thinks I'm wonderful. I mean, I don't want Hiccup's job or anything, but... it's just nice to be wanted."

"I know the feeling. Hey, look, here comes Hildi!" The blue Nadder landed in the farmyard a few seconds later.

"Hi, Fishlegs. Snart, I have a problem. Wizard won't eat."

"Wizard?" asked Fishlegs. "Is that your dragon's name?"

"My mother says his fire reminds her of a shot from a magic wand, from a story she used to read me when I was a girl. And it's almost like magic, the way he learns tricks, especially flying tricks. He loves doing crazy stuff in the air."

"I don't doubt it, Hildi. Every dragon has his own personality; some like to fly, some like to fight, and some —" he gestured toward Meatlug "— like to sleep. What happens when you take Wizard to the feeding grounds?"

"He tries to eat, but he coughs up the fish right away. He's been doing this for a couple of days now, and I'm getting worried."

"Okay, let's have a look," said Snart briskly. "Wizard, I'm a friend." He approached the dragon from behind, stroking the tail and making sure the spines lay flat before he continued. "Oh, here's the problem. His saddle girths are too tight around his neck. He can't swallow. The leather must have shrunk since you put it on."

"I know, but he won't let me take it off. When I try, he gets _real_ upset and runs away."

"Hmmm." Snart pondered for a moment. "Let's fly over to the coast; Fishlegs, will you give me a ride? I'd like to try something."

"Sure, Snart. Where's your dragon?"

"I don't know. He comes and goes when he pleases, and there's nothing I can do about it." He swung up onto Meatlug's broad back, held onto Fishlegs, and both dragons lifted off and headed west.

They landed on the sea cliff, near the place where Skydancer had first taken Snart flying. All three riders dismounted. "Hildi, tell Wizard to 'go fish'."

"Wizard, find fish!" The Nadder flapped away, and soon struck the surface with his powerful legs. He came up with a fine redfish, landed, and swallowed it. A second later, it came back up.

"Okay, Wizard, let me explain something to you," began Snart. "You —" he pointed at the dragon "— need to eat —" he mimed swallowing something "— fish —" he made a swimmy motion with his hand. "But your saddle —" he touched the edge of the saddle "— is too tight —" he tried to lift the edge, which didn't budge "— so you —" he pointed at the dragon again "— can't eat —" he mimed swallowing and coughing something up. Wizard watched him intently.

"Now, Hildi —" he pointed at the girl "— is going to take off your saddle, so you can eat. As soon as you are done, she will put it on again. She _will_ put it on again. Do you understand?" The dragon stared at him. "Hildi, take the saddle off, slowly. And when it's off, do _not_ put it down. Hold it where he can see it." She gave him a strange look, but obeyed; the dragon quivered, but did not resist.

"That's good. Now, send him back out to eat." She gave the command, and the dragon was soon gorging himself on the fish he caught. He frequently glanced back at Hildi before downing another fish.

"How'd you do that?" Hildi and Fishlegs asked at the same time.

"Sometimes you have to try and think like a dragon," Snart explained. "When a human trains a dragon and they become friends, it's something the dragon has never done before. It's special. As far as we know, it's a life-long relationship."

"You make it sound like a marriage," said Hildi, with some disbelief.

"In their minds, it may be very similar. And that means, when you put a saddle or something else like that on them —"

"Is it like a wedding ring?" asked Fishlegs.

"I think it is, to them," nodded Snart. "It's a sign of their special relationship with their special person; any human and any dragon can see it and knows what it means. And if that's how they think about it, then removing the saddle would mean —"

"It would be like a person taking off their wedding ring. Is that what you mean?" Hildi wasn't so disbelieving now.

"Exactly! To them, it means you're rejecting your dragon, you don't want that special relationship any more."

"That really makes sense," Hildi nodded. "That's why he didn't want me to take it off. And that's why you told me to hold the saddle — so Wizard can see it and knows I'm going to put it back on him again."

"And that totally explains why Toothless rejected the mechanical tail that Hiccup made for him last Snoggletog," Fishlegs continued. "The saddle and the artificial tail were his first signs of being friends with Hiccup, so those are what he really wants to wear. Snart, you're a genius."

"Not really. Like I said, sometimes you just have to think like a dragon. By the way, Hildi, whoever made that saddle did some gorgeous leatherwork, but those girths need to be adjustable. You'll be much better off with an old-fashioned buckle and — Fishlegs, _no!_" he shouted.

"I was just going to train my Terror to recognize Hildi," Fishlegs protested.

"If you suddenly threw a Terror in her face without a warning, what do you think Wizard would do?"

"Ummm... poison spines at ten paces? Thanks, Snart. I think you just saved my life."

"No problem, Fishlegs. Just warn people what you're planning before you train the dragon. Nobody likes a sneak attack. Hildi, it looks like Wizard is done eating for now, so saddle him up and let's get back to the farm."


	17. Chapter 17

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 17

About ten days later, as Snart was beginning to plan his harvest, he heard a scratching at his window. He looked up and saw a Terrible Terror at the glass.

"Oh, so the Fishlegs Message Service is up and running," he said to himself. He threw a towel over his shoulder, opened the door, and the Terror promptly landed on his unpadded shoulder. Snart bit down on the torrent of unpleasant words that almost resulted — it's not polite to swear in front of a dragon — and opened the thin tube that was tied to its back. Rolled up inside was a note, written in Fishlegs' neat runes:

SNART, COME TO BERK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. VERY IMPORTANT.

He found his ink bottle and quill, and wrote a reply in handwriting that wasn't nearly as neat:

I WILL COME WHEN MY DRAGON SHOWS UP. PROBABLY TOMORROW MORNING.

He rolled up the note, slipped it into the tube, and picked up the Terror. "Find Fishlegs!" he said to it. "Find Fishlegs!" The tiny dragon squeaked at him and didn't move. "Oh, I suppose you want to be bribed for this." He carried the dragon down to his cold storage, where he finally found a fish small enough for the Terror to swallow. Once it had eaten, he repeated, "Find Fishlegs!" The dragon squeaked again and flew away.

"Now, all I need is a dragon," he said to no one. "Skyraider! Where are you, you old warhorse?" He didn't expect a reply, and he didn't get one. Skyraider didn't show up until the following morning, as expected. Thunder was rumbling overhead as Snart fed him his morning meal.

"Okay, hot shot, we're going to Berk today. Let's see how fast we can do it this time." He braced himself for another rocket-like take-off, and Skyraider didn't disappoint him. But instead of leveling off, the dragon kept going up, and up, and up into the storm clouds. Snart felt his hairs standing on end. Just before the lightning bolt hit, Skyraider wrapped his wings around himself, forcing Snart to lie flat. Then the bolt struck.

There was no sensation of speed. It felt more like leaving himself behind, and finding himself a moment later in a totally different place. There was no noise, no feeling except a general burning sensation. The lightning ride could not have lasted for more than a second or two, but when Skyraider unwrapped his wings, they were in clear air, over halfway to Berk. "_Venn_, I think you're going to break the record." The dragon flew hard for the rest of the way, but wasn't even a bit tired when they landed in Berk's upper pasture.

He encountered Hiccup as he trotted down Berk's main street. "Snart! We weren't expecting you for another hour or so. Did you leave extra-early this morning?"

"No, we rode the lightning. It's like nothing I've ever done before. And I think it gave Skyraider some extra energy, the way he's been flying. What's today's emergency?"

"I'll round up the others; meet me at the Academy. And I think this really is an emergency." Hiccup wasn't given to gloom and doom; if he thought something was serious, then it was pretty serious.

It didn't take long for all six Academy members to gather. As they filed in, Tuffnut scowled at Snart. "It's about time you got here. What's wrong with that dragon? Can't you train him?"

"Maybe it's just stupid," Snotlout chimed in.

"Ix-nay on the upid-stay," Fishlegs whispered. Snotlout looked confused as they took their seats. Snart shrugged off their comments.

"Okay, troops, here's the problem," Hiccup began. "My father says he's been getting reports from peddlers, traveling puppet-show owners, and people like that. He says the inland villages are getting raided by dragons."

"Not our dragons!" Fishlegs exclaimed.

Hiccup nodded. "The dragons we ride? No. The other dragons that live in Berk? Probably not. But there are a lot more dragons out there, hundreds of them, and some of them are carrying off livestock again."

"That can't be!" Astrid protested. "Dragons don't raid villages unless a Red Death dragon makes them do it. And we killed the Red Death. It doesn't make sense."

"Unless there's another one," muttered Tuffnut.

The others all stared at him. "I wish you hadn't of said that, Tuff," sighed Hiccup, "because I have a real bad feeling you're right."

"Okay," said Fishlegs, "then let's fly back to Helheim's Gate and do it again, just like last time, but... maybe without the noise-making?"

"If there is another Red Death, I don't think it's at Helheim's Gate," Hiccup disagreed. "Snart, could you hold up this map for me? Thanks." He pointed to several spots on the map. "These are the villages that have gotten raided. They're all around this mountain range. So that's where I think our enemy is."

"That's rough country," Snotlout observed. "We could search for a year and not find it."

"But remember," Astrid cut in, "dragons always know where a Red Death is. That's how it can call them in for food. Our dragons can take us straight to it."

"And what if it calls _our_ dragons in?" demanded Ruffnut. "Then what do we do?"

"We go in," answered Hiccup. "Calling-in is all the Red Death can do. It can't stop a dragon from leaving once it comes in — Astrid and I saw that happen — and it can't stop a dragon from fighting against it. Otherwise, we never could have taken any shots at the first one. If it does call us in, all that does is make our search easier."

"Okay, so once we find it, then what's the plan?" asked Snart. "Are you and Toothless going to play hide-and-seek in the clouds again? What if there aren't any clouds?"

"We will if we have to, but I had a better idea," said Hiccup. "I was thinking, if we get it to chase me, then as soon as it's high enough, the rest of you can fly up its back and tear its wings up with dragon fire. Just the fall from high up should kill it."

"What if the fall doesn't kill it?" Ruffnut challenged.

"Ummm... then I'll think of something," Hiccup shrugged.

"One problem with that plan," Snart cut in. "What if it doesn't chase you? What if it goes after one of the slower dragons instead?"

"Toothless and I will just have to make it mad enough to ignore everybody else and go after us."

"Then I can double that rage," Snart replied. "Skyraider may not be quite as fast as Toothless, but he's fast enough to stay out of trouble. If the thing goes after me, that frees up Toothless to do some wing shooting, and he's already good at it."

"I don't know," said Hiccup thoughtfully. "That thing is big and clumsy, but it's also very fast. Toothless just barely stayed ahead of it last time. Anything slower might not last five minutes."

"There's another problem," said Astrid. "Toothless and Skyraider might fight again."

"I can keep them separate, but I don't think I'll have to," Snart answered. "Skyraider is a thrill-seeker. If I can convince him that he'll have a much more interesting battle if he behaves himself for a while, I think he'll go for it."

"Okay, then all we have to do is tell people we're leaving for a while," said Hiccup decisively.

Stoick was against the whole idea. "You were almost killed last time! Why risk your lives against a dragon that isn't even bothering us?"

"Because it will bother us eventually, Dad," Hiccup argued. "When those inland villages have been picked clean, the dragons will have to look elsewhere for enough food to keep that monster fed. They'll raid us, for sure. And we've turned our torches into dragon feeders, we haven't had any fighting drills in months... Berk would be defenseless against them."

"Besides, Sir, now is the right time to hit it," Snart chimed in. "Those raids just started less than a year ago, so this must be a young Red Death that just hatched. If we wait for it to reach adult size, killing it will be a lot harder than hitting it now, while it's young and not so big."

"It might be a young one," nodded Gobber, "or it might be an old, big one that just moved into the neighborhood. You don't know for sure that it'll be easy."

"True," Snart agreed, "but Hiccup is still right. It'll come for us if we don't go after it first."

"I don't like it," Stoick said resolutely, "but I can't argue with you. It's not that I think you're right; I just can't talk you out of it. You're every bit the boar-headed, stubborn Vikings I ever was. Go, and may the gods be with you. Be careful, Hiccup."

"I will, Dad, believe me. I'm running out of legs."


	18. Chapter 18

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 18

Everyone dressed extra-warm for the flight to the Noidback Mountains. They wore Dragonbags full of fish for their dragons, and brought food and other gear for themselves as well.

"Can we bring some dragon-nip?" Fishlegs had asked. "I want to see how it works on a Red Death."

"Sure," said Astrid with that dangerous half-smile of hers, "if you want to be the one who flies into its face and holds the grass under its nose."

"Uhhh... cancel on the dragon-nip. But I want to learn as much as I can. The Book of Dragons has nothing on Red Deaths."

"Fishlegs, this isn't a scientific trip," Hiccup had interrupted. "Learn whatever you can, but when it's time to fight, we've got to fight. All of us."

"Okay," said Fishlegs. "You know I'm with you all the way. Meatlug, too."

They flew in a loose pentagon formation, with Toothless in the middle. They found it was easier to talk to each other that way. They speculated on what they would find, and how easy or how hard the battle would be. Everyone was forcing themselves to be upbeat. All but Snart had strong memories of that first battle against the Red Death on Helheim's Gate. Then, they'd had no idea what they were up against. Now, they knew. Knowing didn't help.

"What, exactly, are we looking for, Hiccup?" asked Fishlegs.

"Some place big enough to hold a very, very, _very_ large dragon."

"That could be anything. A cave, a valley, a volcano...? How will we know if we're even close?"

"The dragons will know, Fishlegs," Hiccup replied, trying to radiate confidence. "They hate being controlled by other dragons. They'll give us some kind of a sign when they get close." They flew on in silence, each occupied by his/her own thoughts.

Snotlout: "That third battle star is going to look great on my vest!"

Tuffnut: "This is where I'll show my sister who's _really_ the best dragon warrior!"

Fishlegs: "If only there was some way to learn more about it before we kill it."

Astrid: "When the right moment comes, we've got to strike hard. We might not get a second chance."

Ruffnut: "This is where I'll show my brother who's _really_ the best dragon warrior!"

Snart: "This isn't just a bunch of half-trained raiders with hammers; this is a real killer. I hope I don't mess up."

Hiccup: "I know we can do this. But who's going to get hurt this time, and how badly?"

The sun was beginning to set when Meatlug began sniffing and growling. "Hey, Hiccup, I think Meatlug is on to something!" Fishlegs shouted.

"Great! Let her fly where she wants to. Everybody, follow Fishlegs."

"She probably just found a dead fish," muttered Tuffnut.

The Gronckle led them to the base of a mountain devoid of trees. Cut into the bare rock was a tunnel that led downward at a shallow angle. All seven riders gathered around it. Their dragons kept at a distance.

"Is this the entrance to the Red Death's nest?" Snotlout demanded.

"It might be one entrance, but it can't be the main one," Hiccup decided. "It's not big enough for a Nightmare or a Zippleback to get through. There has to be at least one other entrance."

"Or it might just be a bear's cave," argued Ruffnut.

"No, I trust Meatlug's nose," replied Hiccup. "I think Gronckles have extra-sensitive noses. That's why dragon-nip knocks them out, when it only makes other dragons act crazy. We need to take off, spread out, and look for something else that might be an entrance."

"We also need to find a camping site for the night," added Snart. "We're not going to fight our battle before the sun goes down, and we don't want to camp right next to a dragon-cave entrance, whether it's the main one or not."

"Good point. Everybody on your dragons; we'll scout for cave entrances and good camping grounds at the same time. We'll meet back here at sunset, unless you find something first." The seven of them scattered in five directions. Ruffnut and Tuffnut stayed together, of course, and Astrid and Hiccup went in pretty much the same direction. Snart didn't comment; he knew there was something growing between those two, and Hiccup was so busy that they rarely had any time to spend alone together. On the eve of battle, facing possible death, he could understand their need for a private moment.

When they all returned, they found Snotlout already there. "I found the dragon," he boasted.

"I almost hate to ask, but what did you find?" asked Hiccup.

"Right around the other side of this mountain, there's a valley that's full of this weird yellow smoke. You said that's what the inside of the Red Death's lair was like, so this has to be it."

"You may be right, Lout. Did anyone find a camping site?"

Fishlegs nodded. "There's a flat ledge up on that next mountain, with a stream real close to it, and lots of big rocks for the dragons to perch on."

"Sounds perfect. Okay, everybody follow Fishlegs to our camp site." Once there, they offered their dragons some fish, ate a meal, pitched four tents, and spent a restless night, dreaming of unstoppable giant dragons that followed them wherever they went.

The next morning, they repeated their routine — the dragons ate before the people did. They left all their gear on the ledge; they wanted to be light and unencumbered for whatever might happen next. After flying over Snotlout's valley and agreeing that the Red Death was probably down there somewhere, they gathered around the tunnel entrance.

"So, who's the lucky one who gets to go down the tunnel?" Astrid asked, looking at each dragon trainer in turn. Most of them would not meet her gaze.

"I don't think anyone should go down there, Astrid," said Hiccup. "I think we should send a message instead. A green, smoky message." He looked at the twins.

"And then we light it, right?" grinned Ruffnut wickedly.

"No, and then you do it again. I want you to use up your entire shot limit, and then light it all at once."

"That could blow up half the mountain," protested Tuffnut.

"You're going to have to spark it and then get out fast," agreed Hiccup. "A nasty fireball is going to come shooting out of this cave. But most of your dragon gas will sink down inside, so most of the explosion will vent into the main lair."

"And we are doing this... why?" asked Ruff.

"You're doing the same thing you did the first time. You're making it mad. We want to flush it out of its cave and up into the air so we can fight it, and _you_ are the ones who are going to stick a pin in its rear end and get it moving." The twins laughed uncontrollably at that mental image.

"Okay, Barf, you're on. Everybody else, step aside!" ordered Ruffnut. The right-hand head of the Zippleback poured out a cloud of heavy green smoke. It sank slowly down the cave, clinging to the floor.

"Again, Barf!" A second cloud floated into the cave.

"Again!" The dragon pulled its head back and looked at Ruffnut curiously. Usually, as soon as it breathed gas, the other head lit it; this was something new. "Barf, do it again!" The dragon complied. Then it pulled back again, looking sheepish; all its gas was gone.

"Okay, everybody except Ruff and Tuff, into the air!" commanded Hiccup. "Lout, Legs, stay clear until it's chasing Snart or me; if that thing sees you and chases you, you'll never outrun it. Tuff, any time you're ready." Tuffnut gave the order to his half of the dragon.

In an instant, the cave seemingly became a dragon's mouth, blasting out a column of fire and smoke hundreds of feet long. It could easily have engulfed any of the riders' dragons, had they not kept clear. Those who could see the valley saw its entire mile-long surface disturbed by the blast. The yellow mist rippled like water; the gaseous waves bounced back off the mountain at the far end of the valley.

And then, nothing.

"Uhh, isn't something supposed to happen?" asked Fishlegs.

"Wait for it," intoned Hiccup.

For several more seconds, nothing happened. Then the yellow surface began to show a whirlpool; more turbulence appeared; and with an unearthly bellow, the Red Death soared up out of the mist, looking for whoever had disturbed it.

"Okay, I was wrong — that's no baby dragon," said Snart.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut exchanged hand-slaps. "Yeah! We stuck a pin in his rear end!" Hiccup was regretting that choice of words already. But he'd straighten it out later.

"Okay, Snart, let's go; that thing needs a target to chase! The rest of you, hide until it's chasing one of us good and high, then fly up its back and burn its wings up. Toothless, let's do it, bud!" The Night Fury was off like a shot, with the Skrill close behind it.

This Red Death wasn't quite as big as the first one. But the difference between a dragon the size of thirteen houses and a dragon the size of twelve houses doesn't mean much. It was still big enough to swallow any of their dragons at one bite. It swivelled its head back and forth, searching for an adversary.

"It doesn't see us!" Snart shouted.

"Then let's get its attention!" Hiccup shouted back. "Toothless, you know what to do!" The black dragon snorted, pushed over into a shallow dive, and launched a fireball at the huge dragon's head. It struck the thing's lower jaw and spun its head around from the force of the blow. It had just turned back to look for Toothless when Skyraider traced a fiery line across the back of its neck. The Red Death roared in pain, and finally caught sight of its tormentors. They looked like tiny black specks next to the huge dragon.

Snart was hanging on for dear life. A Skrill normally couldn't catch a Night Fury, but Skyraider was excited by the thrill of battle, and he was going as fast in level flight as he normally moved in a dive. He couldn't imagine what kind of a wild ride Hiccup was having. The two Strike-Class dragons flashed past the giant dragon on opposite sides of its head, then pulled up into a steep climb with the monster close behind them.

As they climbed, Snart heard a strange rushing noise. He chanced a quick look over his shoulder, and saw the open maw of the Red Death filling with greenish gas. There wasn't time to shout a command; he pushed Skyraider's head down, forcing him from a climb into a dive, just as a thick column of fire shot toward them. He felt the heat of it on his head and back, it was that close. Then the sudden dive took them out of the chase. The Red Death lost sight of the Skrill when it breathed fire; all it could see now was the Night Fury, headed for the skies. It shifted targets and pursued Toothless.

Meanwhile, the other dragon riders were trying to overtake the Death and get on its back. Fishlegs' Gronckle was hopelessly slow; the two big ones were also rapidly left behind. That left Astrid and Stormfly, who had a score to settle with Red Deaths (they had nearly been swallowed alive by the first one). The Nadder might not have caught it in level flight, but she had a small advantage in a climb, and was soon almost in position.

"Let it gain a little more height!" came a voice from behind her. It was Snart, who had turned his dragon's power dive into a zoom climb and was coming up behind her fast. He was on the right, she on the left. Each flap of the monstrous wings buffeted them back, which made it hard to stay in position.

Astrid had a sudden idea. "Stormfly, land there!" The Red Death's multiple rows of back spines would make a perfect perch. Stormfly landed, and now she didn't have to fight against the wind from the Red Death's wings. Snart saw what she did, and copied her.

They heard a monstrous boom as the giant's jaws slammed shut. They looked up; Toothless and Hiccup were still there, barely in front of the thing's face. "Hiccup is running out of time!" Astrid shouted. "Let's do this!"

Nadder and Skrill both cut loose with bolts of short-range, superheated fire. Skyraider burned a jagged path through the right wing, then another. Suddenly the whole dragon lurched. Stormfly's fire had sliced through the inner main wing bone, and the entire left wing folded up and collapsed. The Red Death fell off to the left and plunged earthward.

"Get clear!" shouted Snart. Skyraider jumped off his perch, barely dodged a spastic flap of the right wing, and glided away. Stormfly leaped straight up as the huge dragon went down. They watched, joined by Hiccup, as the Red Death spun out of control until it hit the rocky ground, head first. Its skull might have taken the blow, but the weight of its body broke its neck with a sickening crack. The huge animal lay in a heap, motionless. The force of its impact started several rock slides on the nearby mountains.

"Hiccup, are you okay?" Astrid asked anxiously.

"We're fine. You?" Astrid and Snart were both unharmed. The other four riders caught up with them and stared down at their enemy.

Hiccup took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, now I need someone to go down and make sure it's dead." He looked at Snotlout, who suddenly looked very afraid.

"I'll do it," quavered Fishlegs, who didn't look very brave, either. "I'm the one who wants to learn more about Red Deaths, right? Here's my big chance."

"Just see if it's breathing," called Hiccup. "If it is, get out of there _fast!_" Fishlegs guided his Gronckle down toward the massive head, as the others slowly descended to keep an eye on him.

Meatlug landed on the top of the huge head and let Fishlegs climb off. The sturdy young man climbed down next to the eyes and examined them long and hard for any motion of the lids. Then he stood next to the nostril, so large he could have fallen into it. He felt no motion of air. At last, he held a small patch of fabric out over the nostril. No breath of air disturbed it. Fishlegs leaped and shouted, "It's dead!" His voice echoed off the mountains — "It's dead... it's dead... it's dead..."

Astrid finally let herself relax. "We did it. We really _did_ it!"

"All of us, we did it together," nodded Hiccup. "Best of all, nobody got hurt this time."

"Yeah, we're getting good at this," Tuffnut chimed in. "When do we fight the next one?"

"If you don't mind," said Snart, "I'd like to rest a little before we tangle with another one of these."

"What's the matter?" scoffed Ruffnut. "Can't take the heat?"

Snart didn't answer. He just took off his flying hat and showed them the top of it. The fur was burnt completely off by the Red Death's fire. Ruffnut's eyes went wide, and for once, she had the sense to say nothing.


	19. Chapter 19

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 19

The six dragons and seven riders returned home in silence. The adrenaline rush of battle had worn off, leaving them feeling like wrung-out rags, and the enormity of their accomplishment left them stunned. When they got home, they checked in with Stoick, locked themselves into the Academy, and took a two-hour nap.

"Now comes the part I really hate," Hiccup sighed as they roused themselves. "We'll have to stand up in the Mead Hall after supper, with everybody watching us, and tell them all what happened."

"You're not the public-speaker type?" Snart asked.

"No, none of us are. I think I'd rather face a flock of Terrible Terrors, wearing a shirt made out of bacon, than stand up in front of all those people." The others nodded agreement.

"Well, if you're willing, I don't mind doing the talking. I've spent so much time with no one to talk to, I feel like I ought to make up for lost time."

"What are you going to say?" asked Astrid.

"I was working on some words while we were flying home," Snart answered. "If I don't forget anything, I think I can give the people a good report."

"We'll help you if you forget anything," Tuffnut added, with a touch of a sneer in his voice.

"You better not forget what I did," Snotlout threatened.

"I don't think any of you will have anything to complain about," Snart said. "Now, if you don't mind, we have a couple of hours before supper, and I've got to get my thoughts together." He opened the Academy door and let himself out. He spent the next hour pacing in circles around the Academy enclosure, lost in thought.

After supper, the entire village took seats in the Mead Hall. Stoick made a couple of announcements about fishing boats and some people's dragons scaring the sheep, before he boomed, "And now, the Dragon Riders of Berk have something they need to tell us!" Scattered applause greeted them as they stood. All eyes were on Hiccup, so many people were surprised when Snart began to speak.

_Sit back and I will tell a tale, a tale you need to hear,  
A tale about a dragon that filled every man with fear._

_Its named was called the Red Death, it was larger than our bay,  
It called to other dragons and it made them all obey. _

Everyone, even the children, sat quite still as they realized he wasn't just reciting a list of events. Usually, battle reports were long, dry, dull affairs, interesting only to the ones who had been involved. This one might even be entertaining.

_It made them steal the food away from village and from town,  
And if the people fought, the dragons burned the village down._

_You know about the Red Death; you have fought one once before.  
You went to clear its nest out on a far and rocky shore. _

_It nearly was the death of you, until you heard a sound  
That only meant one thing to you: "Night Fury!" and "Get down!"_

_Brave Hiccup and his Toothless won the vict'ry, there's no doubt,  
With help from Fishlegs, Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout._

_Those friends departed yesterday, their number raised to seven,  
To find a Red Death dragon and to send it off to heaven._

_A new one had been found, you see; they gave themselves the work  
Of killing it before its dragons came and raided Berk._

_They flew across the mountains, they all planned to win or die,  
On Toothless, Hookfang, Skyraider, Meatlug, Barf, Belch, Stormfly._

_They searched the mounts and valleys for the dragon's hidden cave,  
A task that ought to scare you even if you're very brave._

_They found the beast, they stirred it up until it left its lair,  
And, beating mighty wings, it rose and chased them in the air._

_They flew! They flamed! They brought it down, it tumbled from the sky.  
They saw it fall, they saw it hit, they saw the monster die._

_It's really most sincerely dead; you need not be afraid.  
It will not burn your fishing boats, its dragons will not raid._

_But who has done this mighty deed? You want to know the one  
Who slew the beast and gets the credit for a battle won?_

_I'll tell you, but I'll tell you this: I cannot name just one,  
But seven names I must recite for brave things that they've done._

_To Snotlout and to Hookfang, they're the finders of the beast.  
'Twas they who found the creature's lair in mountains of the east._

_To Ruffnut and her dragon, Barf, I truly must be fair.  
They breathed the gas that chased the beast from ground into the air._

_And Tuffnut and his Belch, they also helped in the attack.  
He sparked the great explosion with his mighty Zippleback._

_Of Snart and of Skyraider, I make the modest claim,  
He helped distract the monster, and its right wing he did maim._

_To Hiccup and to Toothless of the black and speedy wing,  
They kept the beast distracted while the others slew the thing._

_To Fishlegs and to Meatlug, they were brave, it must be said,  
For they walked down upon it, just to see if it was dead._

_But who's the dragon slayer? It is Astrid! Here is why:  
She sliced the dragon's wing bone with the fire from her Stormfly._

_'Twas she who did the greatest deed, 'twas she who made it fall,  
And though we all gave help, the glory's Astrid's, after all._

_For long ago, when dragon wars were all we had, she swore  
She'd win in Dragon Training and she'd slay one in the war._

_And, though the war is over and the dragon is our friend,  
She finally killed a dragon; yes, she did it in the end._

_Now life is not the way it was, and much is rearranged,  
But while we still are Vikings, there are things that haven't changed._

_You cannot kill a dragon while he's hiding in a cave.  
You cannot beat a Viking while his heart is true and brave._

_And if you would defend a town, don't trust in sword or spear,  
But in the Viking soul that will not bend or yield to fear._

_So, sons of Berk, give honor to each rider and his ride,  
Defending you with dragon fire and hearts of Viking pride! _

Cheers broke out as Snart finished, along with a few calls of "More!" and "Again!" Astrid's parents hugged her joyously; the others were embraced and praised by their families. Stoick laughed and clapped Snart on the back, sending him flying. Hiccup helped him regain his balance while Stoick roared the crowd to order.

"I'll tell you the truth: when I asked the Riders to tell us where they've been for the past two days, I was not expecting anything like _that!_ If we had more such reports, I might call more meetings!" Scattered groans met that statement. "Seriously, that was quite a story, and it was quite a deed they did, all of them. They might not be the biggest or the strongest, but they... are... _Vikings!_" More cheers followed this. Everyone wanted to shake Snart's hand and ask him to recite his poem again. He finally agreed to another reading the following night.

When the meeting finally broke up, the seven dragon trainers gathered near the door. "Do you think I was fair to everybody?" Snart asked.

"I was kind of embarrassed," replied Astrid, although she didn't seem that displeased.

Hiccup seemed quite amazed. "Since when did farmers write like that? Maybe we should make you the official spokesman for the Dragon Training Academy."

"I'd think about it," answered Snart, "except I'm not part of the Academy."

"I'm working on that," said Hiccup.

"But you forgot the best part!" complained Ruffnut.

"Yeah," added Tuffnut, "you left out the part about how we stuck a pin in the dragon's rear end!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 20

For the next few days, Snart was kept in Berk by popular demand. He'd made more friends with that one poem than he'd ever had in his own village. He finally cornered Hiccup in a spare moment.

"I never imagined I'd be popular," he confided, "and I don't quite know what to do about it. I can't walk the streets without someone running up to shake my hand."

"Yeah, I've been there," nodded Hiccup with a wry grin. "My solution was to get away for a while when I could."

"That's what I'm going to have to do, and real soon. If I don't harvest my potatoes, they'll rot in the ground and I'll lose them."

"Actually, I'm kind of glad you're getting all the attention," added Hiccup. "Usually, people are all over me with questions. Now that they're all over you instead, I've had the chance to get a few things done. Like the newest batch of battle stars we just earned; here's yours."

"Thank you! I wasn't expecting that."

"And, Snart, just so you know, Hildi has been flying out here once or twice a month. I think she's mostly checking to see if what you're teaching her is the same as what we'd teach her."

"I've got no problem with that," replied Snart. "She doesn't belong to me; she can get training from whoever she wants. I'm thinking she might be ready to take on an apprentice trainer of her own."

"She is a quick learner, that's for sure," agreed Hiccup. "And she told me about how you handled that band of raiding nomads. That was seriously clever! No bloodshed, everybody happy... I wish we could solve all our problems that way."

"Thanks. But I do need to get home, today or tomorrow. It's harvest season, and if I don't bring my crops in, I won't eat until spring."

"Yeah, that would be bad. You've got to do what you've got to do, Snart. We'll be in touch, thanks to Fishlegs' little shoulder-shredders."

"Oh, they gouged you up, too? I thought I was the special one. I'm going to say my goodbyes and try to get home before sunset."

"See you another day. Don't flame anybody I wouldn't flame."

The ride home was uneventful. For Snart, that was a pleasant change, and he told his dragon so. "I hope I can just do my farming, catch my breath, and not have to kill anything for a couple of weeks. We're both due for a break. And, by the way, thank you for not fighting Toothless again." The dragon made a snarl that Snart couldn't translate.

Next morning, when he took a sack of fish outside to feed Skyraider, the dragon wasn't there. It was the first time he'd missed breakfast since Snart had known him. He didn't come back all day. When he didn't show up the second morning, Snart knew.

Four days later, when a Terror brought a summons to Berk, Snart wrote back,

MY DRAGON HAS FLOWN AWAY AND IS NOT COMING BACK. PLEASE SEND SOMEONE TO BRING ME.

Writing the words was hard, but it helped him fight off the last of his denial. After lunch, a Gronckle hummed into view and landed in his farmyard, but it wasn't Fishlegs. It was a middle-aged woman.

"You must be Snart? I'm Kneebiter. Hiccup sent me to bring you to Berk."

"I'm ready," he answered, and climbed up behind her. "Did you have any trouble finding the farm?"

"A little, but now I know the way," she said as her dragon lifted off. "I earned my Dragon Friend pin about two months ago, and I told Hiccup I wanted more. He said part of being a Dragon Rider is being able to find places from the air, and this errand is part of my training."

"Sending a messenger, and training a new recruit, all at once. That's Hiccup for you," nodded Snart in approval. The ride took longer than usual, simply because Gronckles fly slower than most other dragons.

All the members of the Academy greeted him when they landed. All asked him at once what happened to his dragon.

"I think it's like I said. Skyraider is a thrill-seeker. When I explained that I wasn't offering him any thrills for a while, he bailed out on me. He's probably out looking for some other source of excitement. More than likely, I'll never see him again."

"What's it like, losing your second dra—OW!" Ruffnut's question was interrupted by Astrid's sharp elbow.

"It's okay, Astrid. It's not like losing Skydancer at all. Skyraider and I never bonded together. To him, I was just a way of finding some fun, nothing more. I'm disappointed, and it's going to be rough, not having a dragon again. But I'm fine, I really am."

"So does that mean you'll..." Fishlegs trailed off.

"Find another dragon some day? You better believe it! I think I've got dragon blood in my veins now. I value your friendship, all of you, and it's great to know I'm not alone, but my life just isn't right without a dragon."

"We're all glad to hear that," nodded Hiccup. "If we could all head down to the Academy, there's something we need to talk about." They trooped down the ramp to the Academy floor, where Snart was surprised to find Stoick waiting for them.

"Ahh, Snart, good to see you again. Are you still having troubles with the people of your own village?"

"That's hard to say, sir. I don't go there often, and they never come to me. I guess they still don't have any use for me."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Stoick grinned.

"As chief of this tribe, I am inviting you to move to Berk and become one of us."

"Thank you, sir, that's very kind. But there's no farm land here. I couldn't earn a living."

"Ahh, but that's where you're wrong," Stoick grinned. "We don't want Snart, the farmer. We want Snart, the dragon trainer! I'm inviting you to become a permanent member of the Academy here. Your full-time job will be to help us train dragons and riders. You'll get your room and board from the village. What do you say?"

After a long pause, Snart stammered, "That's... that's... an amazing offer. I want to say 'yes,' but I'd have to clear it with Kallous first. He doesn't like letting his citizens go."

"From what we've heard, he'd be glad to get rid of you," Hiccup observed.

"He probably _will_ be glad, but it wouldn't be right to just leave without telling him. If it doesn't cause a war between Berk and Hulm, then I accept." The others cheered.

"Good!" bellowed Stoick. "Hiccup has been after me for months to get you down here. That poem you wrote for us sealed the deal. If Hulm doesn't know what you're worth, they deserve to lose you, and we'll be the better for it! When can you move?"

"If there aren't any complications, I could move here any time. I don't have many belongings — my clothes, one or two pieces of furniture that belonged to my parents, Skydancer's saddle... I could probably wrap it all in a couple of blankets, and two big dragons could carry it here in a couple of hours."

"It's done, then!" roared Stoick. "This calls for drinks!"

"And I've got just the thing!" Astrid chimed in. "I've got some fresh Yak-nog right here!"

Stoick looked at the pitcher, sniffed it, and went a bit pale. "Astrid, do you maybe have something more... traditional?"

Later, Snart pulled Hiccup aside. "You've been after me for months?"

"You're good with dragons, Snart, really good. And you're good with riders, too. I'm totally swamped with work running the Academy. I need someone I can count on to help with the hard stuff, and you're him."

"Mostly, I just take lucky guesses," Snart protested.

"In that case, you're good luck," Hiccup replied. "You're not afraid to take a chance, you're not afraid to admit when you're wrong, and you like to learn. Those are things that we need. We all like you, Stoick likes you... heck, I don't know anyone who doesn't like you, except the ones in your own village. There's no question you'll be happier here, and we'll all be better off."

Astrid joined them. "You won't miss your family farm?"

"It's just a building and some land," Snart answered thoughtfully. "I keep their memories close, and memories go with me wherever I am. Some people really like the life of a farmer, but I'm not one of them. Dragons are my life now."

Astrid nodded. "Would you like me to give you a ride back home?"

After thinking for a moment, Snart shook his head. "If I'm going to visit Kallous, I think Snotlout and Hookfang would make a better impression. Nothing personal, but Kallous is old-school; he thinks women should cook, wash the clothes, and raise babies. If I show up with a really Viking-ly Viking, he might be a little less hostile."

"I understand. I know the type."

"One thing you could do for me, Astrid, is to let Hildi know I'm moving. She wouldn't take it well if she showed up for her training and found an abandoned farm house."

"Consider it done, Snart. Does she really need any more training?"

"She's doing great with her dragon, but she wants to learn more about the other dragon types. I think she wants her Dragon Master pin."

"Considering she's still just a Dragon Friend, that's quite a dream, but it could happen some day," Astrid nodded. "I'll get the word to her."

Two days later, the daily routine of Hulm was interrupted by shouts of "Dragon! Dragon overhead!" Snart had hoped Snotlout's big copper-and-black dragon would make an impressive entrance, and he did, just by showing up. They landed on the main dock, dismounted, and waited for either Kallous or Bustrib to show up.

"Don't worry, I can handle this Kallous," Snotlout boasted.

"If you try to 'handle' Kallous, he'll rip your jaw off and drop it in your helmet as an early Snoggletog present. You just handle your dragon, and look strong and proud; I'll take care of the business here."

"Strong and proud? That, I can do in my sleep!" Snart had to agree with that. Then the dumbstruck crowd parted to let Kallous through, taking practice swings with his two-handed axe. Bustrib was behind him, but not too close.

"Snart, the farmer? Do you remember what I said I would do to you if you _ever_ brought your dragon into my village?!"

"This isn't my dragon, Kallous, and we aren't in the village; we're out over water. I'm here to tell you I'm leaving Hulm to live in Berk." He glanced back to where Snotlout was posing and flexing.

"Just like that? Do you think I let anyone leave who feels like it?"

"You never wanted me here, Kallous, so please don't try to sound heartbroken. I'm only telling you this as a courtesy because you're the chief. My house and land belong to the village now, according to Viking tradition; you can do what you like with them. I'm leaving the farm tools behind as well, and my pony is a personal gift to the leader who was actually kind to me now and then... Bustrib."

Giving a gift to a subordinate, with nothing for the leader, was an insult of the first order, and everyone there knew it. Kallous roared, raised his axe... and lowered it again at the sight of the huge dragon preparing to flame him.

"I should have warned you, Kallous. Monstrous Nightmares startle easily. If you want to kill me, you'll have to do it quietly. As for me, I guess I'm done here."

"Wait!" shouted Bustrib. "Who's going to protect the village when we get raided again?"

"Bustrib, I've been thinking about that. What if I trained one of Hulm's own people to ride a dragon and protect you? Someone like Tetnuss?"

"Tetnuss? The boy with the lame leg?"

"He'd be perfect, Bustrib. He's smart and fearless, and putting him in the air wouldn't reduce your ground strength. Besides, you don't have to be a good walker to train a dragon."

"_You_ aren't going to train _any_ of my people," Kallous cut in. "And none of those thieving Berks will, either."

"Not a problem, Kallous. I know of a dragonrider up on Machen Island who's about ready for her own pupil."

"A woman?! Over my dead body!"

"You might get your wish, Kallous, if the next raid comes in and you haven't got a dragon handy. Send a message to Berk if you change your mind. Was there anything else you wanted to say before I go?"

"Don't come back. Don't _ever_ come back." Kallous' voice was low and deadly.

"If that's your final command to me, I'll obey it. Come, Snotlout, say goodbye; let us seek out some friendlier sky." They remounted Hookfang, headed out to sea, and left without looking back.


	21. Chapter 21

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 21

The move to Berk was uneventful. Snart brought his belongings by other people's dragons, as he'd suggested. But it took three wagons, air-lifted by two dragons each, to bring his harvested crops, which he gave as a much-appreciated gift to the village. He settled into the room provided for him, and began adjusting to his new life as a full-time dragon trainer.

Even though he'd spent many days at the Academy, he had _no_ idea how much was going on there, until it became his only concern. On his first day, he had to break up a dispute between two fishermen who both claimed to have trained the same Nadder (it actually preferred neither of them). He spent hours with Fishlegs, sorting through contradictory facts and rumors to make sure the Book of Dragons was as accurate as possible. He often cast the deciding vote whenever Ruffnut and Tuffnut couldn't agree on something, which was distressingly often. He took his turn with the others when it was time to refill the fish trays to feed dozens of hungry dragons. And he had multiple requests from Dragon Friends who wanted him to write poems about their own dragons. He tactfully put those requests off until some unspecified future date.

He'd been there about eleven days when Hiccup pulled him aside. "I've got a real bad situation, Snart, and I don't know what to do about it. Kneebiter's Gronckle isn't acting normal. She says she doesn't do anything."

"As lazy as Gronckles are, how can she tell the difference?"

"Kneebiter says she's not eating, and she spends most of her time lying on her side. I've never heard of this happening before. You're the dragon doctor, and you're also the lucky guesser; maybe you want to handle it?"

"Hmmm," Snart thought out loud. "Let me get our Gronckle expert and I'll take a look at her."

The Gronckle, Porkfire, was exactly as Hiccup had described her. She lay on her right side, her eyes half-closed. "She's been like this for days now," Kneebiter sobbed.

"Okay, I'll have a look. Fishlegs, use the dragon-nip." A few whiffs of the grass, and the dragon was out cold. Snart began feeling and pushing on her in various places, trying to find anything out of the ordinary.

"Fishlegs, look at this. There's a place just below her ribs that's kind of swollen and hot. Does Meatlug have a place like that?"

"No, I've given her tummy-rubs lots of times, and I never felt anything like that." Snart pressed on the spot; the dragon woke with a bellow, and Fishlegs had to move fast with the dragon-nip to knock her out again.

"Okay, it's safe to say the problem is there. Now the question is, what should we do about it?"

"Can you save my dragon?" Kneebiter begged.

"_Frue_, if there's anything I can do, I promise I will do it. Right now, I have to think." He and Fishlegs walked away slowly.

"Please don't think too long," she called after them.

They came back that afternoon. "We've talked it over in the Academy," Snart began, "and we want to try something. It's never been done before, but it might save your dragon. We want to cut into that sore area and find out what the problem is."

"Cut into a living dragon?" Kneebiter was shocked. "That would kill her!"

"Gronckles are really tough," Fishlegs reassured her. "We've seen healthy ones with scars from terrible wounds that they recovered from. This wouldn't be as bad as that."

"And we can't think of any other way, _Frue_," Snart added. "If we cut into your dragon, I can't promise she'll live. But if we don't, I _can_ promise you that she _won't_ live. This operation will give her a chance, at least."

"What do you think you're going to find if you..." Kneebiter was reluctant to say it.

"We don't know. Maybe she ate a rock and it went down the wrong tube. The only way to find out is to do it. And we won't do it unless you give your permission. She's your dragon."

For a long minute, Kneebiter rested her hand on Porkfire's upraised front foot. Then, in a very small voice, she said, "Please save my dragon."

"We'll do it tomorrow morning. Fishlegs, let's go. I've got some stuff we need to gather, and I have to see Gobber about a _really_ sharp dagger."

The next morning, a small crowd had gathered in Kneebiter's yard. The seven Academy trainers approached the dragon, which had not moved since yesterday. Its breath was shallow and strained.

"Okay, here's what I want to see happen," Snart began, trying to sound a lot more confident than he was. "Astrid, Lout, you're on crowd control. Keep everyone from getting too close while we're doing this, and I'm sorry to say, that includes Kneebiter. Fishlegs, you write down _everything_ you see and hear. Whether this works or not, we need a complete record of it. Ruff, Tuff, you're my assistants; you pass me the stuff I need when I ask for it. I've already divided my stuff into two piles, so there's nothing for you to fight over. Hiccup, you're the dragon-nip man. Keep this Gronckle subdued, no matter what. If she wakes up and sees me carving her with a knife, it's all over. Any questions? Okay, let's do this." He donned an old leather apron and stepped up to the dragon's abdomen.

"Ruff, wet rag." She dipped a rag in a water bucket and passed it to him. He used it to clean off the dirty skin all around the swollen area. "Ruff, take the rag. Tuff, knife." The dagger was the best work Gobber could do on short notice, which meant it was very good indeed. Snart carefully drew a thin cut across the swollen region, then deepened it with repeated cuts. "Ruff, wet rag." He dabbed away the blood from the cut, then continued. He'd guessed that the sight of blood would mesmerize the twins so they wouldn't fight, and it looked like he was right.

At last the tough skin parted, revealing a layer of fat, a layer of extraordinarily tough muscle, and a dark, tightly-stretched membrane underneath.

"That's the problem, whatever it is. Here we go." He cleaned the knife and drew it across the membrane lightly, then did it again. On the third cut, the membrane burst, dousing Snart from head to foot in foul-smelling dark yellow liquid.

Snart just stood there, dripping wet and stinking to high heaven. He held out a hand. "Ruff, dry rag." She passed him the rag and whispered to her brother, "Chances of him getting a girlfriend are dwindling into single digits now." Tuffnut snorted into his hand.

Snart dabbed his eyes and face dry, then turned, trying to sound dignified. "Fishlegs, make a note: now we know where a Gronckle's bladder is." A ripple of nervous laughter passed around the crowd.

"Did that fix the problem?" Kneebiter called nervously.

"That relieved the pressure. Now I have to find out what caused the pressure in the first place. Ruff, dry rags." He sponged out the bladder, took a deep breath, and reached inside. To his surprise, his hand found an odd-shaped stone. With a bit of pulling and wiggling, he removed it. Its color was dark and unpleasant, but the shape was something like a snowflake.

"How did that get in there?" demanded Tuffnut.

"Like I said, maybe she ate a rock and it went down the wrong tube," Snart answered. He was beginning to feel a little better about this entire process. "Let me make sure that's the only one." He felt around, and removed three smaller rocks as well.

Suddenly, Porkfire stirred. "Hiccup, keep that dragon asleep!" Hiccup quickly applied dragon-nip to the Gronckle's nose, and the stirring stopped.

"Good. I think that will do it. Ruff, wet rag. Tuff, small needle and thread." He cleaned up the wound and slowly, carefully, stitched the bladder back together. It took a lot longer than it had taken to open it up. "There, that's done. Ruff, take the small needle. Tuff, sailmaker's needle and sinew." Stitching up the skin was much harder, and took even longer. By the time he was done, his hands were shaking.

Snart exhaled deeply. "That's it," he said. "Kneebiter, Porkfire will probably be woozy for a while. If she wants to eat, feed her. If she wants to fly, let her. The one thing she must _not_ do is rub her belly on the ground. If she wears those stitches off, that won't be good."

"How will I know if she's going to be okay?" Kneebiter asked.

"Like Fishlegs said, Gronckles are really tough. She ought to be eating by tonight, tomorrow at worst; she'll probably be very hungry after not eating for days, so be ready with the fish. If she doesn't want to eat by sunset tomorrow, come and tell us. That's the best guess I can offer you. And now, if nobody minds, I'm going to burn these clothes and take a bath."

Snart stopped by the next day to see how Porkfire was doing. She wasn't there! He looked around, and saw the dragon and her rider flying up from where the fish trays were. The Gronckle made its usual ungainly landing, and Kneebiter rushed over to take both of Snart's hands.

"Look at her — it's like that stone never happened! She just ate fourteen fish, and she's flying again, and... oh, Snart, I don't know how to thank you!"

"Everything the Academy does is free for the village," Snart smiled. "I don't expect huge thanks. I'm just glad everything worked out well."

"I couldn't have asked for better! You saved my dragon's life! I'll never forget this," she exclaimed.

The unprecedented operation was the talk of the town for days. Porkfire's illness had cast a pall over the mood of the village; when it was known that she was recovering, everyone seemed more upbeat, even those who had nothing to do with dragons. Stoick was especially pleased.

"Snart, even if you never do anything else for Berk or for the Academy, you've earned a life-long position for what you did on that dragon. Some people thought it was a mistake for me to bring you here, but no one is complaining now. You made my decision look good, and that makes your chief happy."

Making the chief happy is a good thing, Snart decided.


	22. Chapter 22

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 22

When he had any time to himself, Snart would tramp around the upper pastures, looking at all the wild dragons. The population was transient; some dragons would come and go as they pleased, while others might stay for weeks or months, drawn by the free food in the fish trays. He was searching for a dragon that might show interest in him.

He didn't find one. There were always a few that would accept a fish from his Dragonbag, but wouldn't let him near them in any other way. He never pressed the issue. He knew he could train any dragon to be peaceful, but he wasn't looking for just a peaceful dragon. He was looking for a friend.

One evening, the dragons seemed unusually hostile. Most of them didn't want fish, one Gronckle nearly bit his hand off, and a Zippleback breathed a puff of gas at him as a warning shot. He ended his walk early and went back to the village.

"Looking for a dragon again?" Astrid asked as he returned.

"I'm not looking for _a_ dragon. I'm looking for _my_ dragon!" Snart answered. "He's got to be up there somewhere. I just don't know exactly what I'm looking for."

"All I can tell you is, don't force it, give it time and let it happen naturally."

"That's what my mother told me about finding a girlfriend, and look how well _that's_ turned out," he said bitterly.

"That will change with time too," she reassured him. "You're a nice guy, and you're bound to find someone."

"If I had a silver mark for every girl who ever said, 'You're bound to find someone,' and she really meant, 'but it won't be me', I could probably afford the bride-price for a chief's daughter. Astrid, I know you mean well, but the hole in my life isn't going to be fixed by nice-sounding words. I'm not going to rest until I find my dragon!" He stalked off to bed.

Astrid smirked. "Not going to rest?" she said quietly.

The next day, Hiccup took Toothless for an extended flight, and left Snart in charge of the Academy. A series of large and small crises kept him _very_ busy all day long. First, a child went missing, and the parents demanded dragons to help look for him. The boy was eventually found in the main pasture, petting a lamb. Then Gobber wanted some superheated dragon fire to test a new metal alloy he was trying, so Snart had to send Ruff and Tuff in search of a Dragon Friend with a Nadder, and check on them every few minutes to make sure they were still looking. Then an eel turned up in the fish trays and frightened all the dragons away; it took him an hour to get them all settled again. He had to visit one of the Sea Dragon riders who had slipped on wet rocks and broken his leg, and he had to pacify an angry fisherman's wife who was convinced that the cow patty in her front yard was really dragon droppings.

In the midst of all this, a small boat arrived in the harbor, bearing a messenger from Hulm. It seemed that Kallous had considered the matter, and he would consent to Tetnuss being dragon-trained by someone who wasn't in Berk. So Snart had to write a message to Hildi, asking how she would feel about taking on a student dragon-trainer and warning her about Hulm's attitude toward dragons and their riders, and sent it to her by what they called the TTX (Terrible Terror Express). He comforted himself with knowing he wouldn't have to deal with her answer until tomorrow at the earliest.

Hiccup and Toothless returned to Berk just before sunset. They both looked relaxed and happy to have spent the day together. Snart suppressed a bit of envy as he reported the day's activities, ending with "...and if this is what it means to be the head of the Academy, you can _have_ it! I thought this place could be crazy when I was an outsider; now that I'm on the inside, I feel like I've been through dragon fire."

"Huh! Not so fireproof when you're on the inside, are you?" Hiccup grinned. "Why didn't Astrid and Stormfly help Gobber out?"

"She was teaching the small children about dragon history, and then she said Stormfly needed an exercise flight."

"Yeah, some of our dragons are getting a bit lazy, now that they don't have to catch their own fish," nodded Hiccup. "We'll have to watch that. But you did well, just like I expected. Everyone wants me to be in charge here, but it's great knowing there's someone I can fall back on. Take tomorrow off, Snart; it sounds like you need it."

"Thanks, Hiccup. I'm going to grab some supper and then go for a walk."

"In the upper pastures? Good luck, and be careful."

The upper pastures still didn't seem friendly this evening. The Zippleback that had gassed him the night before was still there, weaving its heads back and forth and looking hostile. Five Gronckles had lay down together on the path and refused to move, forcing Snart to go around them. A small bright-green Nadder watched him warily from a distance. He thought he saw a rare Timberjack on the hilltop, but it turned out to be Hookfang, sleeping in an unusual pose.

He turned around and headed back to the village, but the green Nadder was blocking his path, tail spines up. He tried to go around it, but it kept moving to keep itself between Snart and Berk. It never took its left eye off him.

"Okay, we'll do it your way, whatever that is," said Snart out loud. "You want a fish?" He reached back into his Dragonbag, pulled out a flounder, and tossed it to the dragon. The Nadder caught it, bit it in two, and swallowed both halves, then resumed staring at him. Snart planted his hands on his hips and stared back.

"I don't know what you want, dragon. I need to get down the hill before it gets too dark, and you're kind of in my way. So if you'd —" he stopped as the dragon coughed. Half a flounder was suddenly lying at his feet.

Slowly, without taking his eyes off the dragon, he stooped and picked up the fish. He stood for a moment, then took a bite and forced himself to swallow it. The Nadder bobbed its head, then spun lightly and presented its tail to him. Its spines were already half-down.

"You're practically throwing yourself at me," Snart wondered out loud. "I think you _want_ me to train you!" He stroked the tail easily, just like he used to do with Skydancer, and watched the spines lay down flat. He continued stroking the dragon, working his way up the tail and along the body until he reached the neck and head.

"You're a beauty," he said softly. "Nadders are common, but emerald-green ones? That's unusual. I like that." The dragon crooned to him, obviously enjoying his touch. He worked his way around to the other side, and stopped. Under the dragon's right wing, marring the lovely green color, was a jagged scar.

"That's not from any human weapon," he said out loud, tracing the scar with his finger. "That must be from another dragon. Maybe you're low on their pecking order, and _that's_ why you want a human friend so badly?" The dragon didn't answer, but it clearly wanted to stay close to him.

"Okay, dragon, you and me are going to be a team from now on. But I've got to get home before it gets dark and I can't see the path. I'll be back for you in the morning, I promise." He tried to step around it; again it blocked his path, keening out loud.

"Don't be such a baby! I _promised_ you I'd be back. Do you think I'm going to walk out on you?" But nothing he tried would convince the green Nadder to let him go. As the last of the sun dipped into the ocean, he gave up.

"Well, _this_ is going to be a new adventure in dragon training," he said as he shrugged off his Dragonbag and sat down in the grass. "Want some more fish?"

In the village below, Astrid noticed that Snart's window was dark. He always read or wrote something before he went to bed. Was he still up in the pastures? She lit a torch and went out to make sure he was all right.

Halfway up, she found him. He was lying on the ground, fast asleep. Next to him was a small green Nadder, also sound asleep, one wing wrapped around Snart. She smiled and left them there.

When he awoke next morning, he found the other six members of the Academy standing in front of him. "If you're planning on getting eaten, I'd definitely spend the night in a field full of wild dragons," Fishlegs mock-scolded him.

Snart rose. "Ladies, gentlemen, meet Skybaby." He gestured toward the dragon, which eyed them suspiciously. "She and I have just met, but, as you can see..." He shrugged and smiled.

"She?" asked Snotlout. "How can you tell? The rest of us can't tell."

"I can't be certain," nodded Snart, "but the truth is, she acts like she's... kind of in love with me. And since I'm a he, I just figured she must be a she."

"Ewww, love in the dragon fields!" grinned Tuffnut maliciously.

"He couldn't do better," Astrid cut in. "She's beautiful, Snart. I don't think I've ever seen a dragon that shade of emerald green before."

"We'll know about the 'he' and 'she' part when the next egg-laying flight happens," Hiccup continued. "Congratulations, Snart. I can only guess what this means to you. I gave you the day off, so enjoy it and get to know your dragon. I think the rest of us have things to do, right?" They turned and headed for the village.

Around lunch time, the townsfolk were treated to the spectacle of a Dragon Master encouraging a green Nadder to follow him through the paths of town. He entered the Mead Hall, where he meant to eat lunch; she was reluctant to climb steps and walk through doors, but was even more reluctant to let Snart out of her sight. The hall wasn't crowded, so there was room to move the tables and make room for a fairly small dragon. "I'll train her to wait outside, but she's still new at this," he apologized to the others in the hall. He spent half his time eating, and the other half helping Skybaby understand that the children who tried to pet her were not a threat.

Later that afternoon, Hiccup was leading the others in dragon recognition drills. He would hold up a sheet of paper showing a silhouette of a dragon, and the others had to guess what kind of dragon it was. To make it fair, he put Fishlegs on one team and all the others on the other team. Fishlegs was winning anyway.

"And what kind of dragon is this?" Hiccup asked, holding up the next poster.

"Oh, I know!" shouted Fishlegs. "That's a —" his words were drowned out by a rush of wind as a green dragon whipped by at very low height, her rider shouting in triumph, held in place by a fine saddle and riding belt. Papers blew everywhere.

"Hey, I thought you made a rule about no more low passes!" Ruffnut protested. "It makes people choke on their drinks and stuff."

"We'll let this one go, Ruff," Hiccup answered, gathering his posters. "He's been waiting for this for a long, long time."


	23. Chapter 23

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 23

The weather turned foul that night, and a full storm was blowing by morning. Everyone was soaked by the time they arrived at the Academy. They took shelter in one of the dragon stalls, while their dragons got wet in the main arena. Snart sat closest to the door so Skybaby could be near him.

"Snart, I hope you and your dragon didn't spend the night in the field again," Fishlegs began.

"Don't worry, Fishlegs. Skybaby slept in the alley outside my room. I'm going to have to make some changes there so she'll be a little more comfortable. Where's Astrid?"

"She's on Sea Dragon duty," Hiccup answered. "A few of the fishing boats got caught at sea by the storm, and she and the others have to be ready if they need help."

"Of course," said Snart. "Anything interesting on today's list of things to do?"

"Not much, in this weather. I thought we might be better off in the Mead Hall, but it's full of fishermen having a meeting with Stoick."

"We could have mock sword fights in here," suggested Tuffnut.

"Forget it! You always hit me in the knuckles," Ruffnut said.

"If you can't handle a sword, then you can fight me with a knitting needle," Tuff taunted her. They were about to come to blows when they heard a commotion outside. The other dragons moved aside to give Stormfly room to land.

Astrid marched in, soaking wet. "Saddle up, we've got an emergency. There are two fishing boats in distress out there; one lost its rudder and the other ripped a sail. The Sea Dragons are rescuing the crew from one, but there's five sailors on the other one that have to be lifted off and brought home, like, _now_."

"We're on our way," said Fishlegs eagerly.

"Not you, Fishlegs. You know Gronckles can't fly well in storms; I don't want to risk losing you too."

"But, Astrid," Hiccup argued, "you said there are five sailors out there. If Fishlegs stays home, that means only four dragons."

"You're forgetting about Snart and Skybaby," Astrid corrected him.

"I'm not forgetting about them, but they only flew together for the first time yesterday. I _don't_ think a storm at sea is a good place for a brand-new dragon team."

"The dragon might be new, but the rider isn't," Snart argued. "And Skybaby's eager and she learns fast."

"She's also _small_," Snotlout pointed out. "Do you think that little dragon can lift you and a sailor at the same time?"

"There's only one way to find out. I think she can do it. And if something bad happens, and I didn't even try, I couldn't live with myself. Hiccup, _please_ don't order me to stay behind."

After a long thought, Hiccup decided. "Fishlegs stays. Snart goes."

"Okay," agreed Astrid, who turned very intense. "I don't have time to give you all Sea Dragon training, but here's the short version. We fly in line abreast, just close enough to see the dragons on either side of you. I'll be in the middle of the line so I can keep control of the group. If someone sees the ship, pass the word, but don't turn toward it. The one furthest away in line is the first to turn toward the ship; that way, no one gets lost or left behind. _Don't_ try to land on the ship — it will be pitching and rolling too badly. Just fly toward it, have your dragon grab one sailor, and go. Trust your dragons to know the way home. Don't try anything fancy or heroic; just get your man and get home. Let's go!"

As they mounted their dragons, Hiccup called, "Fishlegs, let my dad know where we're going." The husky young man nodded as a Night Fury, a Nightmare, a Zippleback, and two Nadders took wing and headed out into the fury of the storm.

The wind was out of the west, so they had a hard time making headway against it. Astrid knew roughly where the ship was, as of half an hour ago, and guided their search line in what she hoped was the right vector. With visibility down to less than a hundred yards, and the rain slashing into their faces, they settled down into the dangerous tedium of a sea search.

After what seemed like ages, Hiccup shouted, "Astrid! If the wind was blowing them towards us, we should have seen them by now!"

"We must have drifted too far north!" she shouted back. "Pass the word — when I turn, everybody turn with me, fly south until I turn again, and we'll head downwind on another search." Each rider passed the word at the top of his/her lungs to the big dragons at the ends of the line. Snart had to repeat himself to Ruff and Tuff because a crash of thunder drowned him out the first time. They copied Astrid's actions, reversed their directions, and resumed their search.

Toothless was the first to see the crippled boat. He tossed his head and growled to get Hiccup's attention, and Hiccup passed the word up and down the line. By the time everyone got the message, they had overflown the ship and had to turn back into the wind.

"Just go in order, Snotlout first," Astrid yelled. "They've got to be exhausted from rowing and bailing. They can't wait!"

The biggest dragon went in first. Against orders, Snotlout tried to get Hookfang to land on the boat. The weight of the Nightmare nearly capsized it and sent the sailors sprawling across the deck. "Never mind, Hookfang, just grab one!" Lout shouted. The big dragon siezed the jacket of the nearest sailor with his back legs, turned, and flapped for home.

Toothless was next in line. With perfect precision, he stretched out his wings and glided into the wind so slowly, he was almost hovering. When he was over the ship, he descended slightly and lowered one leg, which a sailor used as a step to climb onto the Night Fury's back. "Hang on!" shouted Hiccup; Toothless angled his wings into the wind and rose straight up before turning for home.

Now it was Astrid's turn. She and her dragon had practiced this, and she wasted no time. Stormfly swooped in, plucked the captain off the deck with one smooth motion, and flapped away.

"Okay, Baby, we're next!" shouted Snart. "Do what Stormfly just did!" The green dragon set herself up, glided in, and reached for one of the two remaining sailors. But the ship suddenly dropped into the trough of a wave, and she missed.

"Never mind, Baby! Let Ruff and Tuff grab one, and we'll circle around and get the last one!" He gestured flying in a tight circle, and Skybaby complied. As he watched, Barf and Belch made an awkward approach; it looked like each head was aiming at a different sailor. At the last moment, Tuffnut's side of the dragon won whatever disagreement they were having, and the fourth sailor was snatched off the decks.

"We can do this, Baby! Come in smooth... a little lower... get ready... NOW!" He felt his dragon stagger in mid-air as she suddenly lifted the weight of another man. She flapped hard, trying to gain some height. As they turned back, Snart watched the ship start to heel over onto her beam ends. Five more minutes of searching, and they would have been too late.

But the storm still raged, and Skybaby was clearly overloaded. The sailor she was carrying was a big man, and he wasn't a very good passenger; his kicking and flailing didn't help the dragon at all. With the wind behind them, they had speed but no lift, and it was lift that they needed. Unable to glide, Skybaby flapped continuously. The young dragon had already been fighting the winds for almost an hour, and was getting tired. The ocean was getting closer.

Snart had an idea. "Skybaby, turn around!" He made a gesture, and his dragon obeyed. Now the wind was blowing hard at them. "Gain height! Go up!" Again he gestured, reaching far forward so his hand was near the Nadder's eye. She stretched her wings straight out and rose steadily upward. They were getting further from land, but they were also getting further from the surface of the ocean below.

When he thought they'd gained enough altitude, he ordered Skybaby to turn back toward Berk. Immediately, her fatigue showed; her wing muscles were mostly spent. There was no way she could reach land this way. Snart wondered for a moment if it would be better to drop the sailor for the sake of dragon and rider, but discarded that thought immediately. Reluctantly, he had his dragon turn back into the wind.

"Hey, where are you going? Are you trying to kill me?" demanded the sailor dangling and thrashing beneath him.

"If you'd hold still, this tired, overloaded dragon would have more energy for staying in the air," Snart shouted back. This time, he didn't turn her back when they approached the clouds, but had her fly right up through them.

The wind wasn't as smooth up here. Skybaby repeatedly hit pockets of turbulence that made her lose altitude, and she nearly went into a spin once. Each time, Snart reassured her and kept her climbing. Didn't this storm have a top to it?

Finally, they broke into a clear patch between cloud layers where the wind wasn't so strong. Lightning flashed, off to their left, and Snart wondered what it would have been like if he still had Skyraider. That dragon was excellent for riding lightning, but unreliable at taking orders, while Skybaby had done everything he asked of her. "No regrets," he said out loud. "Okay, Baby, one more time. Let's turn around."

The flying was easier now, and Skybaby seemed to know exactly where to go. But she was still tired, and the man below was still heavy, and they were slowly losing altitude. They sagged through the cloud layer into the stronger winds below. The Nadder had been able to rest slightly while they were floating up, but her energy was fading.

When they were barely twenty feet above the water, they saw the cliffs of Berk ahead in the distance, lined by watching men and women. "We're almost there, Baby! We just need a little more height! Up just a little more!" The dragon flapped as hard as her exhausted wings could manage. Slowly, painfully, they gained altitude. When they reached the cliffs, they cleared the edge by less than the height of a man. The dragon released her living burden, who was quickly surrounded by the waiting fisherfolk. Then she dropped heavily to the ground, took a step, and collapsed in utter exhaustion. Snart unhooked his flying belt, dismounted, and felt his legs fold up under him. He fell flat on the wet ground next to his prostrate dragon.

The Academy members rushed to him. "Snart, you did it!" "We almost gave up on you." "That was some flying. You were out in that storm for over two hours!" They moved to pick him up and carry him indoors.

He fought them off.

"Don't take me away from her," he pleaded. "We owe each other our lives now. She's awesome! We're a team." Hiccup started to overrule him, but thought better of it. Instead, he gave Lout, Ruff, and Tuff some quiet instructions to pass on to their dragons. The Nightmare and the Zippleback spread their great wings and sheltered the exhausted pair from the rain until they were strong enough to move again.

"We did it, Baby. We did it," he whispered over and over. "We did it."


	24. Chapter 24

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 24

In a village that relied on fishing for life, the loss of two fishing boats was a misfortune, but the rescue of their crews was close to a miracle. Everyone in Berk overflowed in goodwill toward all dragon trainers, even the ones who had no involvement in the rescue. Astrid had to sort out multiple requests from Dragon Friends who wanted to join the Sea Dragons, now that their worth had been proven. The storm raged for three more days, during which the Academy's business was continually disrupted by well-wishers from the fishermen and their families.

Snart played no role in any of this. From being out in the storm and from lying on the wet ground, he came down with a mild case of pneumonia, and spent over a week in bed. The others visited him regularly to get the details of his story, convey the congratulations of the fisherfolk, and reassure him that Skybaby was still nearby, healthy, and eating well.

"The fisherman you rescued says, if his boat is ever in trouble again, he'd rather go down with the ship than spend an hour in the air," Hiccup related. "He never, never, _never_ wants to go flying again. His wife says to ignore him."

"Did everyone else get their sailors home okay?" Snart asked.

"Yes, you're the only one who had an adventure. The bad news is, unless Skybaby grows a lot bigger, I'm going to have to take you off Sea Dragon duty. She just isn't strong enough for rescue work. I don't want to lose either of you — you're too valuable."

"I think she'll grow." He broke off to cough briefly. "She's a young dragon. How have you been, Hiccup?"

"Crazy busy. The Academy hasn't gotten anything done for days. All the Sea Dragons want their Dragon Rider badges, which they certainly earned, and all the Academy people want Sea Dragon badges to wear next to their battle stars. I hate having to leave Fishlegs out, but Astrid was right; Meatlug never could have weathered that storm. You almost didn't, either."

" 'Almost' only counts with horseshoes, Hiccup. We made it."

"You made it on courage alone. If I'd done something like that, Astrid would have hit me for scaring her."

"Then I guess that's the up side of not having a girl friend," sighed Snart. "Where's Skybaby?"

"She's still lying in the alley under your window, the way she always does. We've rigged an awning so she stays dry in the rain. She leaves to eat once a day, and comes right back. That reminds me, I made up one other badge." He pulled out a silver Nadder-head pin. "This is to replace your Skrill pin, now that you aren't riding a Skrill any more. You and Skybaby are going to make an awesome team. And making you a Dragon Master might be one of the best decisions I ever made. Like my dad says, you made my decision look good."

Snart took the pin, turned it back and forth to look at it. "Nice workmanship, as always. Thank you. What's my next project?"

"Your current project is to get well. Once that happens, I'll want you to work out the details of Hildi training Tetnuss. It sounds like a ticklish situation, but I know you can handle it. You can be thinking about it while you're resting."

"Thanks, Hiccup. I really need something useful to think about. I'm going nuts, cooped up in this room and staring at the ceiling when I could be out flying."

"You'll have plenty of flying time, and plenty of work to do, when you're completely well. Gothi says you should stay in bed for two more days, just to be safe." He noticed Snart's eyelids beginning to flutter. "I'll let you rest now." Hiccup left quietly.

When Snart was well enough to resume his Academy duties, his plan for training Tetnuss was well formed. First, he had to arrange for Hildi to meet the young man and see if she could work with him. Then came the elaborate deception, so she could bring him to Berk without him knowing where he was. This all had to be arranged by TTX, so it took over a week before Wizard could bring Hildi and Tetnuss to Berk's high pastures. Fortunately, the young man wasted no time in finding a Gronckle that liked him, and the initial stages of his training went smoothly.

Hildi sent the Academy a TTX message a month later. "Tetnuss is good with his dragon and learns quickly," she wrote. "But he is becoming hostile toward me. I will let you know if anything changes."

Nothing changed, so it wasn't until another month that the Academy discussed the message. "So far, being friends with a dragon has only been good for people," Hiccup began. "I guess a dragon can't make a bad person good."

"This is my fault," Snart replied. "The whole thing was my idea. I should have gotten to know Tetnuss better first."

"No one can blame you for wanting to protect your old village," Astrid objected. "Tetnuss is making his own decisions. No one is making him be stupid."

"This may mean trouble down the road," nodded Hiccup, "but I don't think it will be serious. Kallous isn't smart enough to know what dragons could do for him, and he's too stubborn to take good advice. One dragon won't be much of a threat to us, or anyone else. And Kallous can't add any more dragon riders, because we've got all the dragons."

"My prediction," added Fishlegs, "is that he'll turn against Tetnuss just like he turned against Snart. We may be adding another Gronckle rider to Berk soon. That would be nice."

"Maybe," shrugged Snart. "As long as Kallous thinks he controls the rider, he'll tolerate the dragon."

"And we _don't_ have all the dragons," Snotlout chimed in. "That Red Death we killed had a bunch of dragons that were raiding for it. They didn't come here, so they must be, uhhh, somewhere else."

"That's true, Lout," nodded Hiccup thoughtfully. "Maybe we should find out where those other dragons went. I'd hate to think of a powerful tribe like the Berserkers getting their hands on them."

Astrid laughed. "Can you imagine Dagur trying to train a dragon? All he'd do is kill them."

"Which is another good reason to find them," Hiccup affirmed. "Dragons are intelligent creatures who don't bother people except to protect themselves. Nobody should be killing them."

"Are we going to try and take care of every dragon in the whole world?" asked Snart. "That sounds like a lot of work for seven people."

"Not the whole world, just the world around us," Hiccup corrected him. "That's plenty of work to keep us busy. I'm going to start planning another trip to the Noidback Mountains before winter sets in. We have to find out where those dragons went."

That was when the Terrible Terror flew into the arena, circled once, and landed on Hiccup's shoulder. "Hold on a second," he said as he unwrapped the message from its tube. He read out loud:

PLEASE COME VISIT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. HILDI.

"We better respond to this by tomorrow morning. Do you want to handle it, Snart?"

"This is probably bad news that's going to affect all of us. I'd feel better if you came with me, Hiccup."

"That's fine. Toothless and I have never been to Machen; it'll be good to learn the way. Astrid, if I put you in charge of the Academy, can you handle it for a day?"

"I think so. Just don't get too friendly with that warrior maiden!"

"I'll keep him out of trouble," Snart promised. "He can't go far without me; I'm the only one who knows the way. And, Hiccup, before we leave, there's something you probably ought to do..."

The two young men and their dragons set out the next morning, following the coast. It was a crisp, cold day, typical for Berk, so they dressed warmly. They flew wing-to-wing so they could talk without shouting. "What do you think has happened to Hildi?" Hiccup asked.

"She and Tetnuss have probably had a total breakdown," Snart answered. "We saw this coming. Kallous probably figures Tetnuss knows all he needs to know, so he's cut the connection between them."

"What is Kallous so afraid of?" Hiccup wondered.

"He fears not being in control. Anybody who won't submit to him unconditionally, he bullies, and if they don't come around, he rejects them. He probably fears that Tetnuss spends so much time away from Hulm, getting ideas from strangers, that he'll be tempted to leave Hulm and move to Machen."

"And then Hulm loses its dragon. I think I get it." Hiccup nodded.

"No, I don't think you do, Hiccup. I don't really get it myself; it's a different way of thinking from the way you or I approach life. It's not about the dragon. It's about a person choosing not to be Kallous' follower. _That's_ what he's dead-set against."

"So all he cares about is raw power over people?"

"That's about it, Hiccup. Power is as important to Kallous as Toothless is to you, or Skybaby is to me."

"You're right, Snart. I _don't_ get it. But if you're right, then he becomes incredibly dangerous any time he or his people interact with outsiders."

"True. He's ordered me to never go back to Hulm, and as long as he's alive, I never will. He would have killed me last time if it weren't for Hookfang. If you have any plans for spreading dragon-training to other villages, I think you should cross Hulm off your list."

"That's sad. I was hoping that dragons and dragon-training could be something that would bring people together. I guess even dragons can only do so much."

"It's pretty amazing what they have done, though. There are some people who wouldn't be alive today, and some people who never would have met their best friends, if it weren't for dragons."

Hiccup leaned forward and patted Toothless on the neck. "He's got _that_ right, doesn't he?" Toothless grunted and half-grinned.

They arrived at Machen shortly before lunch. They circled the town at high altitude, so Hildi could see them and join them without any land-bound complications. After about ten minutes, they saw her climbing up to meet them. "I'm glad you came," she called from a distance. "We need to talk. Follow me in." She put Wizard into a steep dive, which Toothless and Skybaby had no problem following, and led them to a clearing on the outskirts of the town. They all landed and gathered in the middle, while their dragons lay down and rested.

"Snart, you swapped your Skrill for a Nadder? Good trade!"

"Skyraider just took off on me one day. This is Skybaby. She and I are a team, a _real_ team. You've met Hiccup and Toothless, so we can skip the formalities. What's wrong? Has Tetnuss broken off his lessons with you?"

"It's worse than that. He and Hulm raided us."

As the Berk riders tried to digest that, they saw two people approaching them from the town. Snart recognized them as the tall woman he had dealt with during his abortive raid, and the leader of the raiding nomads. They stopped at the edge of the clearing, clearly nervous about the dragons, until Hildi gestured for them to approach.

"_Two_ dragon-men!" the woman exclaimed. "Hildi told me that Berk is crawling with dragons and their friends, but I didn't believe her."

"Berk is a very dragon-friendly place, _Frue_," Snart answered. "We've already met, under less friendly circumstances, but I didn't get your name?"

"Rainbit. And this is my husband, Germburg."

"We've also met," said Germburg. "Also under less friendly circumstances. You were right about this village, though, and I should thank you for that. My men and I love it here."

"Hildi was starting to tell us that Hulm raided you here?" Hiccup asked.

"First, let me tell you what happened the week before that," Hildi cut in. "I was meeting with Tetnuss every week, but about a month ago, he cut it down to every two weeks. Last time we met, he said he knew everything he needed to know, and he didn't want to see me again. I told him he still had a lot to learn, and he said, and I quote, 'If you come near Hulm, I will burn you out of the sky. I have the superior dragon, and I'm the better warrior, so go back to your village and stay there'."

"Superior dragon?" scoffed Snart. "_You_ didn't teach him that, I hope?"

"The exact opposite — I had hardly taught him about the different kinds of dragons at all. He quit on me before I could get that far. I know a Gronckle is tougher than a Nadder and can shoot further, but I also know the Nadder can fly further, has a hotter flame, and can shoot tail spines, so I wouldn't call either one 'superior'."

"You really know your stuff, Hildi," Hiccup said. "I'm impressed."

"Snart taught me everything I was willing to learn," she answered. Hiccup gave Snart an admiring nod. "But I'll let my mother and stepfather tell you what happened next."

"We were going about our business two afternoons ago," Germburg began, "when we heard battle cries from the far side of the island. We found out afterwards that Hulm had sent three of their fishing boats filled with warriors into the rocky channel between Machen Island and the mainland, instead of sailing into the harbor like smart people would have done."

"Once they saw all the rocks," Rainbit took up the tale, "they landed and marched overland until they found the village. Our men were sorting their catch on the docks when we heard the battle cries. All of the men, and some of the women, formed up and stood against them, and Hildi got herself into the air to help fight them." Snart nudged Hiccup upon hearing this.

"My men and I had already lost one village to raiders; we weren't going to lose another one," continued Germburg grimly. "The numbers of men were about equal, plus we had a few brave women beside us. We had Hildi and her dragon, and they had one of those fat dragons, Conkers or whatever they're called. The raiders seemed to put a lot of faith in their dragon; I guess we were supposed to be terrified of it or something."

"Hildi took their dragon right out of the battle," Rainbit said proudly. "You kept your promise to me, dragon-man; you taught her about dragons, and taught her well. Their dragon never got to breathe fire once. The two of them just circled each other in the air, calling each other bad names, and — is that _funny_, Snart?"

"I'll explain it later. Please go on."

"Anyway," said Germburg, "their dragon did nothing for them, the numbers were slightly against them, and we had the home advantage. So, after shouting some threats and insults at us, they backed away, got back in their boats, and left. One of the boats hit a sharp rock and sank, so the other two were very crowded on the way out."

"It wasn't much of a raid, as those things go," finished Rainbit. "No one got hurt, nothing got stolen... but if they'd come earlier, while our men were at sea, it might have gone very differently. Now we have to post guards at key places around the island, and everyone who's on guard isn't fishing or doing anything else useful."

"It sounds like a good precaution anyway," Snart responded. "I'd like to say I know Hulm well enough to predict whether they'll come back or not, but I can't."

"Can you take a guess?" Hildi asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say they won't be back. That would be an admission that the first raid failed, and Chief Kallous doesn't like to admit that he fails. It would also be an admission that his mighty dragon warrior didn't do the job. He's probably telling his people how the raid subdued you, and you'll never be a threat to Hulm again." Rainbit and Germburg snorted at that.

"Please don't laugh," Hiccup cut in. "I've learned to have a lot of confidence in Snart's guesses."

"In any case, you've flown a long way to talk to us, so the least we can do is offer you hospitality," said Rainbit. "Will you join us in town? We have to ask your dragons to stay outside, though. People are just starting to get used to Hildi's one dragon; three of them would look like another raid."

"That's okay," said Hiccup. "We accept your kind offer. Toothless, stay out here until we come back, or until we call for you." The Night Fury grunted and settled down for a nap.

"Skybaby might be a problem," Snart said. "We're a new team, and she gets really anxious if she isn't near me. I'm not sure I can convince her to stay here."

"Not a problem," Hildi replied. "I'll have Wizard stay out here, and your dragon can come into town with us. Most of the people will be too busy to notice the color difference."

"Thank you, Hildi, that's very kind of you. Skybaby, follow us, please." The five people, and one dragon, took the short walk into the village.

The last time the women of Machen had seen Snart, he was trying to raid their village; and the last time the men had seen him, he was threatening them with dragon fire. So the welcome they gave him was somewhat frosty. Hiccup fared somewhat better. The Berk riders were led to the village's Mead Hall, where they were offered food and drink, and invited to tell their stories. Hiccup's description of the Dragon Training Academy seemed like a fairy tale to Machen's people, even though Hildi vouched for the truthfulness of it.

"I'm sorry we didn't offer you much of a welcome, Snart," Hildi said as they prepared to leave. "Maybe if you visit more often, the people will open up to you a bit more."

"Before we leave, we have a couple of things to give you," Hiccup replied. "Snart insisted we might need these, and he was right." Both Dragon Masters reached into their pockets as Germburg and Rainbit came closer for a look.

"What are those?" Germburg asked.

"This is the copper badge of a Dragon Rider," Hiccup answered. "It's a mark of honor among the dragon trainers of Berk. It shows that she knows more than most people about dragons, and that she's done something useful with her own dragon."

"This is a battle star," Snart explained. "We award them each time a dragon trainer takes his or her dragon into battle. By helping break up that raid, she earned both of these."

"My daughter... a decorated warrior?" Rainbit was amazed. "If someone had suggested such a thing to me a year ago, I'd have tied him to a mast and shipped him off, for fear he'd gone mad! Hildi, I'm so proud of you!"

"You've done well, Hildi," Germburg added as she stared at the Dragon Rider pin in her hand.

"But... but my student turned out all wrong!" she protested.

"That's his fault, not yours," Hiccup replied. "What you taught him was right; what he did with it was wrong, and no one can blame you for that."

"Tetnuss probably would have turned out okay, but he's under his chief's thumb," Snart added. "That isn't your fault, either. You earned these the same way the rest of us earned them — by your own merits. Wear them proudly, Hildi."

"And if you ever need to visit Berk for any reason, you'll get a warm welcome there," Hiccup concluded.

After a moment's hesitation, she removed her Dragon Friend pin and stuck the Dragon Rider badge in its place. "Thank you, thank you both. I'll walk you back to the clearing." As they returned, Hiccup noticed that her eyes were mostly on Snart.

_Astrid,_ he thought, _you've got no worries about __me__ and that warrior maiden!_


	25. Chapter 25

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 25

The flight home was uneventful, and so were the next six days. Snart was beginning to wean Skybaby of her extreme dependence on him, but it was a slow process. On the seventh day, Hiccup announced his plans for a return flight to the Noidback Mountains, in search of wild dragons. He would lead this expedition himself.

"Who's going with you?" Snotlout was the first to ask the question on everyone's mind.

"None of you," Hiccup answered. Before anyone could protest, he went on. "We've got five Dragon Friends who have been bugging me for months for a promotion to Dragon Rider. They're good enough, they know enough, but they haven't had the chance to do something noteworthy. This expedition is their chance. I'll be able to watch them up close and make sure they really deserve their copper badges."

"How long will you be gone?" was Astrid's question.

"If we haven't found anything in a week, we'll come back. If we do locate those dragons, we'll probably be back sooner — we just want to find them, not train them."

"Are you leaving Snart in charge again?" asked Tuffnut scornfully.

"Actually, I thought I'd leave you in charge, Tuff," Hiccup said with a smile. "It'll be good practice for you. But as soon as you complain about it, Snart takes over. Deal?"

"Hey, why him and not me?" Ruffnut demanded.

"I had to pick one leader, and he spoke up first. Nothing personal."

Snotlout angrily blurted out, "You mean, if I'd said something first, I would have been in charge?"

"Count your blessings, Lout," Snart offered. "There's a lot more to being in charge than just giving a bunch of orders."

"There's more?!" exclaimed Tuff excitedly.

Fishlegs leaned over to Astrid and whispered, "I give him half a day."

The expedition left early the next morning. Hiccup and Toothless led three men and two women (including Kneebiter) off to the east, carrying plenty of food for people and dragons. The other Academy members watched them go.

They were barely out of sight when Tuffnut called for mock sword fights. "We need the training," he explained to his skeptical friends. He squared off against Snart, Snotlout chose Fishlegs as his opponent, and the two girls faced each other. "This is gonna be epic!" Tuff exclaimed.

"For me!" Lout added.

"And me!" Ruff chimed in.

"We'll see," said Astrid.

Tuffnut and Snart were both far from experts, and their battle became a long, drawn-out draw. Snotlout attacked the same way every time, and Fishlegs quickly worked out a parry, then a counter-attack; soon he was winning most of his duels. Astrid, who wasn't too enthusiastic about the whole thing, never tried to attack, but effectively blocked all of Ruffnut's strikes, which soon had Ruff furious.

"Astrid, you're not even trying!" Tuff objected.

"I've trained my entire life with an axe," she answered, smoothly dodging another attack. "How can you expect me to be an expert with a weapon I've never used? Besides, I don't see _you_ scoring many hits."

"I'll show you a hit!" he yelled. He raised his sword over his head and charged at Snart headlong. At the last moment, Snart dropped to the ground and curled up in a ball, Tuffnut tripped over him, and fell flat on his face. "Ohhh, I am hurt! I am very much hurt!" he yelled, holding his nose.

The battle was interrupted by two of the Sea Dragons, Efelburr and Boogerboard, who burst into the Academy shouting, "Raiders!"

"Raiders? Coming here?" Snart asked, incredulous.

"We were taking a practice flight south," Efelburr began, "when we saw ships. We flew over to check them out, and somebody threw an axe at us! We came straight back to warn you."

"How many ships?" Snart demanded.

"About fifty, maybe more."

"Fifty!" exclaimed Astrid. "That has to be Dagur the Deranged and the Berserker tribe."

"They didn't win the first round, so they're back for more?" Fishlegs suggested.

"How far out are they?" was Snart's next question.

"An hour and a half, at a guess," Boogerboard replied.

"Okay, we've got to move fast," Snart began. "It figures they'd do this while Hiccup and our best recruits are away. I'd like to —"

"Hey, I'm supposed to be in charge!" Tuffnut protested, waving his wooden sword.

"You know we're badly outnumbered, right? Do you want the blame if we lose?"

"Snart's in charge!" shouted Tuff.

"Okay, as I was saying, I'd like to keep the bloodshed to a minimum, but if they're determined to die, we may have to give them what they want. You —" he pointed to Boogerboard "— warn Stoick; he'll take charge of the land defenses. Stay here in case he needs to send us a message. Ruff, Tuff, Lout, Astrid, spread out and find every Viking who has a dragon to ride. Get them down to the sea cliffs with saddles and harnesses ready to go. Fishlegs, count who and what we've got as they get there; I'll need to know what our forces are. You —" he pointed to Efelburr "— rest your dragon for a few minutes, but be ready to guide us to this fleet. Skybaby! Let's go, we got trouble!"

As the dragons gathered on the cliffs, Stoick came running to meet them. "What's your plan?" he asked Snart.

"I want to break up their fleet, weaken them, turn them back if possible. I don't want to kill anyone, but we're Vikings and we'll do what we have to do. If any of them do get to land, they'll be wet, burnt, and tired, and there won't be many of them. The dragons will stay out of your way if that happens. We've got the sea, you've got the land."

"If they're Berserkers, they won't turn back."

"Well, they won't be able to say I didn't warn them. Fishlegs, what have we got?"

"Two Nightmares, three Zipplebacks, six Gronckles, and eight Nadders. There would be more, but Stoick wants those riders in his ground forces."

"Nineteen dragons against fifty ships?" Stoick repeated. "Those aren't good odds."

"Actually, Stoick, they're _very_ good odds. You've never seen what a dragon can do to an incoming raid. For me, this is familiar territory. Unless something terrible happens, the Berserkers are either going home or going down."

"I hope you're right, Snart." The chief turned and headed for town to organize his warriors.

"Okay, everyone!" Snart raised his voice. "We're going to make multiple attacks on those incoming raiders, as I give the orders. Everyone, make sure your dragons are ready to flame. Nadder riders, find a rock about the size of your head, and bring it with you into battle. I'll explain why later. Sort yourselves out by dragon type and get ready to fly. We're earning a new battle star today!" That gave most of them encouragement.

In about five minutes, everyone was ready. "Efelburr, lead the way. Dragon warriors of Berk, let's ride!" The force of dragons that lifted off the cliffs wasn't nearly as big as Snart might have hoped, but it should be big enough to execute his plan.

He and Skybaby flew from one side of the gaggle of dragons to another, sorting them out. "The Zipplebacks will make the first attack. Lay a line of gas in front of the lead ships; when they enter it, light it. Ruff, you're in charge of that. Tuff, I didn't pick her because she's better, only because she's closer to me right now. Ruff, take your dragons and get them ready." She grinned wolfishly and started giving orders to the other Zippleback riders.

"I don't think they'll turn back after just one attack, so here's the second part. All the Gronckles and Nightmares will fly from the front of the fleet to the back, setting their masts on fire. If you just burn the sails, that's fine, but I really want the masts. I want to make them row."

"So they'll be tired when they get to land?" Fishlegs guessed.

"So their hands will be full of oars and they can't throw any more axes at us," Snart answered. "Lout, you're in charge of this stage. Make sure the dragons _don't_ fly right over any ships — that's a good way for them to get hurt. Fishlegs, tell your Gronckle riders that when they reach their shot limit, they should fly back and eat another rock that the Nadders are carrying. With those reloads, eight dragons should take out most of the masts in the fleet, even if you miss a few shots. Lout, get your dragons ready and tell them the plan."

"You got it! Those ships will never know what hit them!" Snotlout rounded up the Nightmares and Gronckles and explained the plan.

"What about the Nadders?" Astrid called.

"Keep them flying in circles in front of the fleet so the Gronckles can find them," Snart shouted back. "You're in charge of them. I'll tell you more if the first two attacks don't do the job."

The Berserker fleet was in view now. Snart counted fifty-two ships sailing in three rows, all laden with warriors. His last concern, that this was just a fishing fleet that had been misidentified by a panicky Sea Dragon, was laid to rest. "Ruff, do it!"

The three Zipplebacks, excited to lead the attack, laid down a curtain of thick green gas just in front of the three lead ships. A few axes and spears were thrown at them from long range, but all missed. The ships plowed straight into the cloud. "Now!" shouted Ruffnut, and the entire cloud exploded with a noise like a close-range clap of thunder.

When the smoke cleared, the lead ships were blackened and their sails hung in tatters. The crews were blackened as well; some were sitting on deck, clutching their ears. Those ships ran out their oars. The fleet kept coming.

"Lout, take your dragons in! Tuff, when they're done, if the raiders haven't turned back, you do the same thing Ruff just did, except you're in charge this time. Try to blow up some ships that aren't badly damaged yet."

"Ha ha! Boom!" laughed Tuffnut.

Snart and Skybaby gained height to watch the next stage of the battle. The eight dragons with long-range fire swept down the length of the enemy fleet, spitting flames every few seconds. The flames spread as masts and sails caught fire. Fire is a sailor's greatest enemy, and the enemy sailors wasted no time in cutting away burning sails and chopping down flaming masts. The Gronckles' aim was not perfect, but they made up for it by recharging their shot limit with rocks from the Nadders and making a second pass. In about twenty minutes, the entire enemy fleet was moving under oars; not a sail could be seen. They kept coming.

"Tuff, do your stuff!" Snart flew back to the small flock of Nadders. "Astrid, once the Zipplebacks are clear, take the Nadders in from the land side, low and fast. Flame the ships' rudders. Blast them, set them afire, chase the steersmen away from them... I want those ships unsteerable. Skybaby and I will fly in with you, but you're in command of this phase."

"Got it!" she replied, and carried the orders to the other Nadder riders. As she finished, another loud blast announced that Tuffnut had carried out his task. He had targeted the second ships in each row. One of them pulled out of line, turning slowly because they had to steer with their oars, and rowed slowly for home.

"Astrid, if any ship retreats, let it go! Focus on the ones that are still a threat."

"Okay, Snart. Nadder riders, you heard that. Follow me!" She led the Nadders in a straight line parallel to the raiders. Then she let out a piercing whistle; every Nadder turned ninety degrees and swept toward an enemy ship.

Snart guided Skybaby toward the third ship in the nearest row. "We're a little high; come down, come down. That's good. I want you to flame right there, where I'm pointing. Ready? Ready... _fire!_" A blinding shaft of superheated flame lanced out and struck just aft of the rudder. Snart nudged his dragon's horn to correct her aim, and the rudder vanished in flames.

"Fly left, Skybaby!" They banked and flew just aft of the ship they'd just flamed and through a gap in the middle row. "There, that's our other target, that one in the last row. Same thing as before. Ready? Ready... _fire!_" His dragon's aim was spot-on this time.

All the dragons met in front of the fleet. "Lout, check the enemy ships for damage; see if any of them are retreating and if any need special treatment. Is anybody hurt?"

"Efelburr got hit," Astrid said.

Snart's face turned hard. "How? Who did it?"

"He overflew the lead ship, and someone threw an axe and hit him in the shoulder. He's in a lot of pain."

"All right, if that's the way they want it... Fishlegs, take two Gronckles that have used up all their shots, and escort Efelburr and his dragon home. You're in charge; get him safely back to Berk."

"You got it, Snart!" Meatlug hummed away; Fishlegs would see to the wounded rider's safety.

"Ruff, Tuff, I have a special job for you." They recognized the rage on Snart's face and hoped it meant something painful for somebody. "I'm going to fly on the right side of that lead ship and find out who threw the axe. Then, while they're all looking at me, I want your dragon to swoop in from the left and carry that man back to Berk. I want him alive!"

"Aww, can't we kill him just a little?" Tuffnut begged.

"If he gets dunked in the ocean once or twice on the way, I don't want to know about it," Snart answered. "Just bring him back to Berk, uninjured. He's going to pay for what he did."

Snotlout returned at that moment. "Most of the ships are turning back; only nine or ten are still heading for Berk. Can I sink them? Pretty please?"

"They're in sight of Berk; if they get much closer, we'll have to sink them. But first, I want that sailor who threw the axe. I'm going in; Ruff, Tuff, get ready." He guided Skybaby into a long descending curve that led him next to the lead ship in the middle row.

"Who threw the axe that wounded my dragon-rider?" he bellowed.

"Who wants to know?" came the reply from somewhere on deck.

"The man who's about to sink you wants to know, and so does his dragon," Snart yelled back.

"Then this is for your dragon!" One man stepped up to the gunwales and heaved a small throwing axe. Snart pulled Skybaby into a quick climb, and the axe splashed into the sea.

"Is that the best you can do?" Snart shouted, pointing directly at the thrower and hoping Ruffnut and Tuffnut were paying attention.

"When I reach land," the belligerent one answered, "you'll see what I — YAAAH!" His voice trailed into a scream as a two-headed dragon plucked him neatly off the deck and carried him away.

"As for the rest of you," Snart shouted to the crew, "I've tried not to kill anyone. But if you don't turn back, I'll have to start sinking your ships, one by one."

"You're bluffing!" came someone's answer. "Your dragons are all out of fire!"

Snart sighed. "Okay, Snotlout, show him how wrong he is." He pulled Skybaby up and away as Hookfang made a slow, deliberate approach. Snotlout looked like he was really enjoying this. He gave the word to his dragon, and a jet of liquid flame splashed the ship from figurehead to sternpost. The crew immediately threw themselves overboard, shed their weapons and armor, and swam like mad to the nearest ship.

Snart now caught up with the other two Zipplebacks. "You've each got one shot left? Lay them right on top of a ship that's still headed for Berk, and blow it. Then get back to Berk." They did as they were told. One ship sank immediately; the other turned back, half its crew bailing water from multiple leaks while the others rowed. As Snart gave orders to the remaining dragons, the rest of the raiding fleet also laboriously turned back.

Snart watched them go, and let out a deep breath. The plan had worked, and casualties were light. Now it was time to wrap up loose ends. "Belay those orders. All dragons, return to Berk! We have a victory!"


	26. Chapter 26

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 26

A confused knot of dragon riders and land warriors met him when he finally landed. Stoick was trying to bring order, but everyone wanted to talk to the chief at once. As Snart dismounted, everyone suddenly wanted to talk to him instead.

"Everybody quiet down!" Stoick's bellow finally brought some order. "Snart, tell me what happened out there."

"Chief Stoick, I am pleased to tell you that your dragon warriors have completely turned back a Berserker raid. All enemy ships were badly damaged; at least two have sunk so far. No enemies got through to Berk. Our casualties were light: one man wounded."

Stoick finally let himself smile. "Those Berserkers would have outnumbered us by over five to one if they'd landed. We never would have had a chance. All you dragon riders should be very proud!" Everyone cheered.

"Stoick, how is the wounded man, Efelburr?" Snart had to know.

"Gothi has bandaged him up. He still has feeling in his arm, so he shouldn't lose it, but he'll be out of action for quite a while. I'd like a piece of whoever threw that axe at him."

"Chief Stoick, I can give you your wish. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, bring your prisoner forward."

The crowd parted to let Barf and Belch through. Tied to each of their necks was a rope; the other ends of the ropes were tied around the wrists of a very wet, very angry young man. The natural bobbing and weaving of the Zippleback's heads meant that he was jerked from side to side with every step they took. This did not help his mood. Stoick stared at him.

"Dagur?"

"Untie me at once, Stoick! Show respect! I'm a chief!"

"You are a prisoner!" Snart retorted.

"I am Dagur the Deranged!"

"You are Dagur the Defeated!" The crowd laughed at that.

"Enough!" roared Stoick. "Are you the man who wounded my warrior when we were trying not to kill anyone?"

"I knew you were raising a dragon army against me! I knew it all along, and now you've proved it!" Dagur was almost hysterical. "My ships will be back for me, you watch and see! I will own this island, Stoick, and I'll take every dragon head home and hang it on my wall! Right next to yours!"

"Perhaps some day, Dagur, but not today," Stoick growled. His eyes narrowed. "Have you forgotten all your Viking traditions, like what I should do to a Viking chief who tries to raid my village and fails?"

Dagur finally went a little pale. "You wouldn't! I'm chief of the Berserkers! You couldn't!"

"All right," offered Stoick, deceptively calmly. "If I couldn't, then what should I do? Snart, what would you do with this prisoner?"

"I hate killing if it can be avoided," Snart said, "but it's the Viking way, and he is too dangerous to let live. If you strike him down here, his tribe will come back to claim his body and burn everything on Berk to the ground. I would take him far out to sea with one of the dragons he hates so much, take him high up in the air... and drop him."

"You would do that, you troll, you _dragon-friend!_" Dagur spat out the words. "You don't have the guts to spill my guts! You don't deserve to be called a warrior! You let a... a _dragon_ do your fighting for you! You're no Vi— OWW!" His rant was cut off as Barf and Belch spread their heads apart, nearly pulling Dagur's arms out of their sockets.

"I've heard worse ideas, Snart," Stoick nodded. "Would you be willing to do that?"

"I'm not a killer, Stoick, but he is. I'll do whatever is best for Berk."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Tuffnut interrupted. "Why should he get to drop the chief? We captured him, and we owe him — he tried to kill our dragon once."

Everyone stared at him, amazed at his audacity, even Ruffnut. Snart gazed at him evenly. "Are you claiming right of vengeance over me?"

After a long silence, Ruffnut stood up for her brother. "Yeah, we claim... what you said."

"He did try to kill your dragon," nodded Snart, "so you _do_ have the right of vengeance over me. The only one with a better right is Efelburr, and he's in no condition to claim that right. Stoick, do you approve of this plan?"

"It's tradition for the winning chief to kill the loser in a raid," Stoick began. "But, as you said, if we kill him here, his tribe will come back for him, to make sure he is escorted to Valhalla. I approve."

Snart nodded. "Okay, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, tie him hand and foot and get ready to take him west. I'll fly along as a witness."

"And me," Snotlout chimed in suddenly.

"All right, two witnesses. Let's get this over with. Astrid, Fishlegs, try and arrange some kind of victory celebration for our dragon trainers. We'll join you as soon as this... deed is done."

"Don't worry about the victory celebration, Snart," Stoick chuckled. "The whole village will celebrate tonight! We've never seen a victory like this, and we have you and your dragon riders to thank for it! I only wish Hiccup was here."

"He'll be back in a few days, Stoick. As for us, we'll be back in an hour or so."

The three dragons flew steadily west. They stayed low, so whenever Dagur started ranting, they could shut him up with a quick dip in the sea. The riders remained silent for quite a while.

At last, Tuffnut said, "Snart, you really scared me back there. I thought you were going to make me look bad in front of the whole village."

"Did you think you were right, Tuff?"

"Yeah, I did."

"That was a teaching moment. Don't ever be afraid to stand up for what you think is right, no matter who you have to stand up against."

"You mean, if we think you're wrong, we can say so, and you won't get even with us for it?" Ruffnut wasn't quite sure she was understanding this.

"I'd rather you didn't do it in front of the whole village, but yes, if you really think I'm wrong about something, I want you to tell me about it. I'm not perfect, and I don't want to wind up like some chiefs, who are so full of themselves that they won't listen to correction."

"That's why Berk will never be great," Dagur interrupted from below them. "You don't rule with an iron hand; you let your underlings tell you you're wrong any time they want. That's not how the Berserkers do things these days, and that's why we're going to wipe Berk off the map some day!"

"No, don't dip him, Ruff, Tuff. I think we've gone far enough. Let's gain height and let Dagur enjoy the view. Lout, fly in a big circle; look for ships that might fish him out, then fly up and join us." The dragons rose up steadily, leveling off about three-quarters of a mile up.

"Look around, Dagur. See the clouds, the ocean, the horizon? We dragon trainers see this all the time. This is what the world looks like, to people with imaginations and open minds. This is what the world could have looked like to you, if you had something on your mind besides stomping on your neighbors."

"You might kill me," Dagur raged as Hookfang joined them, "but I will never be forgotten! I will be avenged! My descendants will dance on your graves!"

"You never will be forgotten, I agree," said Snart coldly. "The great haters in this world get a name for themselves, while good men and women get forgotten. But when people speak of Dagur the Deranged, they will spit, and curse, and do everything they can to keep their children from growing up like you.

"Hate is all you've got left, Dagur. It's all you ever had; it's totally consumed you. So take your hate with you to the bottom of the sea. Ruff, Tuff, on three."

The twins counted to three together, and shouted, "DROP!" Barf and Belch released their human burden, who tumbled toward the water far below. He shouted something as he fell, but none of the witnesses could understand him. They watched until, far far below them, there was a tiny splash.

They glided onward for a few seconds. Finally, Snart broke the silence. "I think the world just became a more peaceful place. Let's go home."

**o**

A/N This chapter was written before anybody knew that Dagur the Deranged would be coming back in the next season of the CN series.


	27. Chapter 27

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 27

The rest of the week passed fairly smoothly. There were the usual major and minor emergencies to keep Snart on his toes, but nothing as serious as a raid. When Hiccup and the other riders returned, Snart was glad to give up being the boss, but not with the same sense of impending panic that he'd felt the first time.

"We had no luck," Hiccup told the rest of the Academy. "We saw lots of nice scenery, but no dragons. Not even a sign of any."

"Nothing happened here, either," said Ruffnut, "except we fought off a raid from the Berserkers."

Hiccup stared at her in shock. Tuffnut gloated, "Too bad you were away. We all earned another battle star, except for you."

"Snart, are they telling the truth?"

"Yes, they are," Snart replied. "The actual damage wasn't much — they never got to the island, we only sank a couple of their ships, and as far as I know, only one of them got killed."

"I don't know if that's good or bad," Hiccup thought out loud. "The Berserkers are mean, and a little crazy. If Dagur still has his fleet and his warriors, he's bound to try again."

"No, he won't," grinned Snotlout. "Guess who the one guy who got killed was?"

"Dagur?"

"We captured him," Astrid explained. "He wasn't even a little bit sorry, so Stoick gave him the usual sentence that losing chiefs get on raids." Tuffnut gestured with his fingers to show someone picked up in the air, and then being dropped.

"Well, _that's_ going to change the politics around here," Hiccup noted. "How bad did we get hurt?"

"One rider, Efelburr, caught an axe in the shoulder," Snart answered. "He's mending; it looks like he'll be able to fly again."

"_One_ rider?" Hiccup was amazed. "You took on that entire fleet, and _won_, and only one person got hurt? That's hard to believe."

"Would you believe us if we said we fought a Red Death and killed it, and only one person got hurt?" Astrid grinned.

"Point taken," nodded Hiccup. "Are there any other little surprises I need to know about?"

"No, aside from repelling fifty-two ships, everything was pretty much routine," Snart grinned. "Of course, things are going to get totally crazy real soon, and we probably ought to talk about that."

"What's he mean?" Tuffnut asked his sister.

"He means Snoggletog is coming up," Hiccup explained, "and you know what that means."

"Presents?" asked Fishlegs hopefully.

"It means our dragons are going to fly away and lay eggs," Astrid retorted.

"Oh, yeah," Fishlegs realized. "I _so_ want to fly along with them this time, and see all those eggs and all those cute little dragon babies!"

"How are you going to do that?" Hiccup asked. "We don't know when the dragons are going to fly. Are you going to stay on Meatlug's back from now until... whenever? Or are you going to chain her up in a fish warehouse again?"

"I really don't think she was that unhappy there." Fishlegs didn't sound very convincing.

"Well, how many of you would like to fly to the egg-laying island if you could?" Hiccup asked. Six hands went up; only Hiccup abstained.

"Don't you want to see the babies?" Astrid was surprised.

"Been there, done that. Besides, there wouldn't be any Night Furies, and that's the only baby dragon I want to see."

"Why are you asking who wants to go, if we can't go?" Snotlout wondered.

"Maybe you_ can_ go, or at least some of you," Hiccup answered. "As Snoggletog gets closer, you can all stay as close to your dragons as you can, and one of you can be up in the air at all times, watching for the flight of dragons headed for the nesting island. With a minute's warning, maybe you all could climb on and fly with them."

"Oh, so we're going to take turns watching for them, and hope they come when it's our turn?" Snotlout wasn't convinced. "Wait a minute. Tuffnut and Ruffnut have to ride the same dragon, so that means they'll be twice as... I mean, the dragon has to... well, it has to be unfair somehow!"

"Everybody will get the same chance as everybody else," Hiccup assured him. "I'll make up a schedule, and we'll draw straws to decide who goes when. And you know I'll be fair because I won't be part of the game." It was agreed, but the one-at-a-time rule quickly became the most ignored rule on the island. They all began spending as much time as possible in the air, no matter how preposterous the excuse. Hiccup finally had to ground everyone except the one whose turn it was, because the dragons were getting worn out.

One day, Snart looked up Fishlegs as the big young man worked on the Book of Dragons. "What do we know about the egg-laying island?"

"Not much. I followed Hiccup's directions on an old map, and I think it's called Lovecraft Island, after the man who discovered it. It's got a spring in the middle that makes warm water, and the dragons like that – their eggs hatch when they get warm, and the water keeps the hatching explosions under control. People don't live there because it's small, barren, and the only thing that grows there is baby dragons."

"Thanks, Fishlegs. That might be helpful. If I get lucky and go there, I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

"You won't have to, Snart, because I'm 72% sure _I'm_ the one who will get to go."

"Then may the luckiest man win!" Snart shrugged. There was plenty to do on the ground, what with the holiday approaching, plus the usual work of the Academy. Everyone still found time to take their turn in the skies, though.

Snoggletog came at last. Children found gifts in their Viking helmets; adults made a point of saying "The eggs explode!" whenever Astrid was near; and the whole village enjoyed a festive night together. Snart had the sky watch that evening, but he was able to catch the end of the party when he handed off the watch to Snotlout late at night.

The next morning was chill and foggy. It was Astrid's turn to fly and hope. But before she took off, she approached Snart.

"Efelburr still isn't flying yet, and the Sea Dragons are short-handed. Can you fly the southern dawn patrol for me today?"

"I thought Hiccup took me off Sea Dragon duty."

"It's okay; Skybaby won't have to carry a passenger in the middle of a storm this time. Just fly south along the coast for an hour, make sure there aren't any Berserkers coming our way, and fly back."

"That, we can do. But Skybaby hasn't eaten yet, and she can be a real slow eater, especially when I'm in a hurry."

"Take a Dragonbag," Astrid suggested. "You can feed her a snack in the air, and she can eat her fill when you get back." That sounded like a good idea to Snart.

The flight south was uneventful. He steered a wide path around Hulm; he didn't want to provoke an incident, no matter how innocent his intentions were. South of Hulm, he was unfamiliar with the lay of the land, but following the coast was easy. Every few minutes, he would toss a fish out ahead of them, and Skybaby would lunge to catch it in mid-air.

He reached the end of his patrol route. As expected (and hoped), there were no Berserker ships in these waters. "Okay, Skybaby, turn us around and head home." She spun abruptly on one wingtip and headed out to sea, flapping hard to gain height.

"Skybaby, what are you _doing_? Home is _that_ way!" He pointed. She shook her head with a snort and continued climbing. It was the first time she had ever refused to obey him.

A shadow passed across him. He looked up, startled. Skybaby was laboring to join the lead ranks of a great cloud of dragons that stretched out of sight to the southeast. All the common dragon types were there, in every color imaginable, and a few rare dragons here and there as well. All were headed northwest, flying with purpose, not looking to the right or to the left.

"It's the egg-laying flight!" he thought. "And it wasn't even my turn to be in the air. Fishlegs is going to be _furious_ at me."

As they passed Berk, he watched a stream of dragons rising from the town and the fields to join them. Astrid and Stormfly would probably be among them. If he had to be completely out of control of the situation, at least he'd have company. He tried to spot Astrid, but there were too many dragons in the air at once. The dragons headed out across the sea, and he settled down for what would probably be a very long flight.

It took several hours. They flew through fog and thick clouds, somehow knowing exactly where to go. At last, they dropped down through the clouds and approached their destination. Lovecraft Island was a bare, rocky, ring-shaped islet with a lagoon in the center. Steam rose from the lagoon's warm waters into the chill Arctic air. Dragons were landing all over the island, mostly along the shores of the lagoon... except for one stretch of shore that was utterly devoid of dragons. That puzzled Snart. He nudged Skybaby's horns to steer her to that empty patch, but as soon as she got within a hundred feet of it, she cried out and pulled away. She finally landed on a raised outcrop far from the water, allowing Snart to climb off.

"Astrid! Are you here? Astrid!" he called. She could be anywhere on the island, or Stormfly might not have landed yet. He looked around. Dragons of every color were scattered all over the rocks, most of them in pairs. As he watched, a cyan Nadder with yellow bands around its tail settled to the ground next to Skybaby. "So _that's_ your boyfriend? He's colorful too. I bet your babies are going to be _gorgeous_." He began walking.

Halfway down the outcrop, he heard Astrid calling him from above. Stormfly landed nearby and let her rider disembark. She ran over and took his hands. "Snart, what are you _doing_ here? It wasn't your turn to be in the air!"

"You sent me on the southern Sea Dragon patrol, remember? I was just turning for home when the flight of dragons flew overhead, and here I am. And believe me, I am _glad_ to see you." They hugged briefly.

"I forgot about that patrol. Snart, this island is getting real crowded, but there's a patch of shore by the lagoon with no dragons on it at all. What's with that?"

"I saw that too. We don't have much else to do, so let's walk over and check it out."

"I don't want to miss Stormfly laying her eggs!" Astrid protested.

"We all just got here. You've probably got a few hours, at least, before the eggs arrive, maybe a day or more. It won't take long to walk there, and if there's nothing to see, we'll come right back."

They picked their way across the broken landscape. Everywhere around them were dragons — Gronckles waddling, Nadders strutting, Nightmares crawling, Zipplebacks stalking.

"What if there's some kind of poison smoke coming out of the ground, and that's why the dragons won't go there?"

Snart held up a wet finger. "If it was smoke, it would be drifting this way, and there are plenty of dragons here. There's something wrong with that one patch of shore line." They reached it in about ten minutes, and the problem was immediately obvious.

"Our Lovecraft is full of eels," Snart observed with disgust as they looked at the shore.

"Dead eels," added Astrid.

"Very dead eels. They must have swum into the lagoon, the warm water killed them, and they washed up here."

"...Where they're scaring all the dragons away." Astrid wrinkled her nose. "That smell could scare _me_ away, too."

"What do you say we do the dragons a favor and clean up their beach for them?" Snart suggested.

"That's a nice idea, but how? Those eels are kind of... decomposing. We might have to make three or four trips to get rid of just one eel, and there are about twenty of them."

"Not a problem, my lady. Thanks to your suggestion, I just happen to have a Dragonbag right here." He unslung the empty pack.

It took them almost two hours to clean the beach. First, they had to pick up the rotting eels and drop the pieces in the Dragonbag. Then they waded into the water and splashed it onto the shore to wash away what was left. Then they washed their hands repeatedly until they didn't smell any more.

"Let's call our dragons in, Snart. They ought to have first choice of nesting spaces, seeing how we did all the work."

"Good thought. Skybaby! Down here, Baby!" Astrid called Stormfly in as well. Both dragons flew over slowly, circled the beach, then landed quickly and found places that suited them. Within minutes, their mates and twenty or thirty other dragons had left the high rocks to join them.

"I guess waterfront property is prime real estate for dragons," nodded Snart. "I'm going to weight this bag with rocks and sink it offshore. You keep an eye on your dragon; she might be closer to laying than I thought."

"Snart, most of these dragons are strange to us. If they're going to be laying eggs, they might get protective. Do you think they might give us trouble?"

"Hiccup had no problems when he was here last year," Snart answered. "As long as we act friendly and don't get too close, I don't think they'll give us any trouble, either." He hiked away in search of rocks the right size. Astrid stretched out on a flat stretch of rock, rested her chin in her hands, and watched her dragon pacing back and forth.

The dragons all gave Snart a wide berth; the Dragonbag was pretty rank, in spite of its odor-proof qualities. He filled the bag with stones, tied it shut with the rope, and heaved it off a cliff into the sea, where it sank out of sight. As he walked back, the dragons gave him curious looks, but didn't bother him.


	28. Chapter 28

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 28

"I think Stormfly is getting close," Astrid whispered as he rejoined her. "We might be the first people _ever_ to see a dragon laying her eggs!"

"Fishlegs would love to be here. Think of all the stuff he'd be writing in the Book of Dragons!"

"Fishlegs would be so nervous about Meatlug laying, he wouldn't remember a thing," Astrid corrected him. "We'll probably be better witnesses than he would be."

"Could be." Snart glanced up at Skybaby, who was basking on a sunny rock. "It doesn't look like Skybaby is anywhere near as close to —"

"Shhh, look!" Astrid whispered. Stormfly had lowered herself almost to a sitting position. A few seconds later, she rose, leaving a mottled blue egg, about the size of a grapefruit. She turned, examined it, and pushed it with her nose to a spot where it wouldn't roll away on its own. She did it again in about three minutes, and once more five minutes after that.

"Look at them!" Astrid was almost giddy. "She laid her eggs! She's going to have babies! Do you think she'd mind if I..."

"I wouldn't," Snart advised, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Keep your distance until they hatch. Remember, the eggs —"

"_I __KNOW__!_" she shouted; all the nearby dragons looked at her curiously. "Will I _ever_ live that down?"

"You have to admit, it was pretty funny, except for the damaged-houses part. Do we have any idea how long it will take for the eggs to hatch?"

"Meatlug's eggs hatched the third or fourth day after the other dragons left, but we don't know when she laid them. It could be days. Snart, what are we going to do while we're waiting?"

"We're surrounded by dragons. A couple of them are friendly, and we can always train more if we have to. They'll be fishing for their babies soon; maybe they'll catch a few fish for us, and light us a cooking fire while they're at it. But I had another thought, Astrid. It was your day to be in the air in case the dragons flew, not mine. Does anyone know I'm here?"

"I hadn't thought of that," Astrid answered, without taking her eyes off the eggs. "I didn't tell anyone else I'd sent you on patrol; I figured you'd be back before anyone missed you. I'm sure they've figured it out by now, though."

"Maybe they have. In which case, they know that you and I are alone together for the next few days on a deserted island. They might start some nasty rumors, you know what I mean?"

Astrid was indignant at the thought. "Hiccup trusts me! I know he does."

"I don't doubt it," nodded Snart. "But there are a few others who will jump to all the wrong conclusions. You know who they are, and how they are."

"If they say _anything_ like that to _anyone_," Astrid recited in a deadly monotone, "I will _personally_ beat them senseless and stuff them down their dragon's throats, head-first."

"I don't doubt that, either," Snart agreed. "Just be ready for some awkward questions when we get home." They lapsed into silence, watching the eggs.

As the sun began to set, they approached their dragons. Stormfly was broody and didn't let them near her; Skybaby was still friendly, but wasn't willing to leave her place on the rocks. Fortunately, both Astrid and Snart knew a thing or two about training Nadders, and were able to pacify their dragons' mates and communicate their desire for fish. They soon had a fine fire made from some driftwood, and their supper was baking on the coals.

"It's a shame the whole group couldn't be here for this," Snart said. "It's almost fun."

"They'll get their turn someday," Astrid replied from the other side of the fire. "I'm so glad I got to be here and see Stormfly lay her eggs! This is something I'll never forget."

Some time during the night, Skybaby laid two eggs of her own. Now they had two clutches to keep their eyes on. But on that second day, nothing else happened.

Snart took occasional walks around the island to see what he could see. One or two clutches of eggs had already hatched, and the tiny dragonets were staggering around on weak legs, peeping to be fed. Mother dragons stayed with their young while the fathers fished and fed them; then they exchanged roles. If a gull or skua came too close to the young, the parent dragon rose into a hissing, threatening posture to frighten it away; one bird was too persistent, and met its end in a shaft of flame. Once the little ones could walk, the parents moved them to the highlands, leaving the shore spaces vacant for the next mother who needed a laying place. Clearly, dragons made very good parents.

Astrid was unwilling to leave her place, for fear she'd miss the hatching. Snart told her about whatever he'd seen when he returned from his walks. She nodded and thanked him, but she didn't feel talkative. Her attention was totally fixated on those three large eggs. The shells had dried out and were quite rough and wrinkled, not smooth like a chicken's egg. "It won't be long now," she said to no one.

As they finished their second supper on the island, Snart asked, "Something puzzles me about these dragons. They lay eggs every year, but... how do the eggs get there? When do they mate?"

"Maybe we'll figure it out while we're here," Astrid said with a yawn. "I'll think about it in the morning."

"Fair enough," nodded Snart. "Last one in bed, blow out the lights." They found flat spots on the rocks, reasonably far away from each other, and called it a night.

Considering that their beds were bare rock, they slept surprisingly soundly. "It must be something in the air here," Snart decided. He was returning from a sanitary detour when he saw Astrid gesturing at him urgently. "Come quick, come quick!"

He ran and stopped next to her. Stormfly was nudging her eggs with her nose. One of them rolled down the rocky slope and plunked into the waters of the lagoon. The other two followed. Astrid held her breath.

She had to take two more breaths before something happened. Then they heard a muted blast from under water, and a flurry of bubbles burst to the surface. A moment later, a tiny blue Nadder bobbed up, peeped once, and paddled to the shore and climbed out. Stormfly met the baby at the waterline and bent down to look closely at it. They rubbed noses.

"Awwww!" Astrid totally went to mush. Snart had to admit it was a touching scene, even though the dragonet itself wasn't that cute. Then another burst of bubbles, and another blue Nadder came into the world. A minute later, the third arrived; this one was olive green like the father.

Astrid couldn't wait any longer. She stood and strode over to the new family. To her surprise, Stormfly stood over her babies at full height, wings spread, and snarled viciously at her. Astrid stopped in her tracks.

"I'm sorry. I forgot my manners." She showed her empty hands. "May I please look at your babies, Stormfly?" After a moment, the Nadder relaxed and stepped back. "Thank you, Stormfly. I'll be gentle, I promise." She walked slowly toward them, and got down on hands and knees. The tiny dragons wobbled over to her, fearless and full of curiosity. She stroked their tails, even though the spines were more like stiff hairs, then rubbed their faces. They peeped in delight, and pushed each other aside to get her attention; there were three of them and she had only two hands. Stormfly bent down to keep a close eye on what was going on. Astrid kept petting them until the father returned from the sea with a gullet full of fish for them.

"Snart," she said as she returned, "I'd be thankful if you didn't go into too much detail when you talk about my role in all this."

"You don't want anyone to know how the warrior maiden can turn into a girly-girl? Maybe I could have some fun with — OW!" Her fist was hard and he wasn't expecting it.

"_That's_ for even _thinking_ of telling tales about me," she warned him. "And as for everything else... I just want you to know that you're a friend I can trust. If I had to be stuck on an island with someone who wasn't Hiccup, I think I'd have chosen you."

"Thanks, Astrid. That means a lot. But unless I'm totally wrong, we're about to see some more babies hatch." Sure enough, Skybaby was rolling her eggs downhill into the water. They watched, mesmerized.

After about two minutes, two bursts of bubbles erupted, and two miniature Skybabies crawled out of the lagoon. One was brilliant green like the mother; the other was a striking magenta. "Oooh, Snart, they are _beautiful_!"

"My little dragon does nice work, doesn't she?" he grinned. He stood and slowly approached. "Skybaby, may I please look at your chicks?" She reared up and hissed at him. "I guess that means 'no'." Snart was shocked and a bit hurt.

"Don't take it personally, Snart. She's a young dragon; this might be her first clutch. First-time mothers are always nervous and protective. She'll lighten up once they're a couple of days old."

"I hope so," sighed Snart. "She's never treated me this way before. I'm going to take a walk. Want to join me?"

"Sure," she said. "I've hardly left this spot since we got here."

Dragons were hatching everywhere now. Bubbly eruptions were happening all around the rim of the lagoon, and in the many holes carved in the rocks by tidal action. Now and then, an egg that didn't make it into the water would explode loudly (which made Astrid cringe) and a miniature dragon would go flying through the air until it bounced to a halt on the rocks. It didn't seem to hurt them, though. At one point, they heard three exceptionally loud blasts. "Thunderdrum eggs," Astrid suggested.

"By this time tomorrow, this island is going to be ankle-deep in playful little dragons," Snart noted. "We won't be able to take a step without — hey, that's Meatlug!"

"There's Meatlug!" echoed Astrid, who had spotted Fishlegs' dragon at the same time. The Gronckle was busily pushing seven eggs into a rocky hole with her nose. Within a few moments, the water in the hole was almost carbonated by exploding eggs, and Meatlug soon gathered a colorful brood around her. Only then did she acknowledge the presence of the humans. She wasn't nervous at all as they held and petted her chicks.

"She's done this lots of times, you can tell," Astrid giggled as a tiny pink-and-gray Gronckle licked her chin. "Skybaby will lighten up soon, don't worry."

"Obviously, Fishlegs didn't get here this year," Snart noted.

"I think we're the only ones — the others couldn't get to their dragons in time," she answered. "I'd say the only ways to catch the egg-laying flight are to be in the air when it happens, or to kidnap your dragon beforehand." She paused to watch two adult Zipplebacks cavorting in the air together. They seemed to be following some kind of symmetrical pattern in the sky; if they had left lines behind them as they flew, they would have drawn an elaborate Celtic knot. "Did you ever see two dragons fly together that way?"

"No," Snart agreed, "but we've never seen a mating flight, either."

"Do you think —"

"I'm almost positive. My guess is they rise as soon as the eggs hatch. I bet you'll see our dragons find a boyfriend within a day or so."

Snart's guess was conservative; Stormfly and another blue male rose in a complicated aerial dance before the sun went down that day. Astrid watched, entranced. Snart didn't watch because Skybaby had finally relaxed enough to let him check out her babies. He couldn't help grinning as they tried to climb into his lap. He altered his opinion — "Maybe they're a _little_ bit cute."

The next day, their dragons had disappeared. "They probably moved uphill so the other dragons can use the shore," Astrid guessed, and after about half an hour of searching, they found Skybaby in the highlands, and Stormfly nearby. Baby dragons were running and stumbling everywhere; a few were trying out their wings. Some adults were coming and going with fish for their families, while others (including Skybaby) were choosing partners in mid-air. Snart's dragon paired off with a different Nadder than the one who was helping feed her babies; apparently, dragons were not monogamous. This disappointed Astrid.

"It just doesn't seem... right," she protested.

"It's right for dragons," Snart answered. "They do a lot of things differently from us. But it works for them, judging by the number of baby dragons running all over the place — whoops!" He dodged as a tiny Gronckle, flying for the first time, buzzed by and almost hit him. "I wonder how old they have to be before we can train them."

"If they get used to people while they're this small, we may not _have_ to train them," Astrid mused. One of Stormfly's clutch was cooing and rubbing its head on her leg for attention. She bent down to stroke it. "You're so little! How are you ever going to fly all the way home?"

They spent the next four days that way, visiting other dragons, befriending their little ones, and trying not to step on any babies. They eventually found Hookfang and Barf and Belch, but those dragons were males, and their mates weren't so keen on sharing their young with the humans. But the tiny dragons didn't care, and once they left their parents' sides and began exploring the island, they responded readily to being petted and praised by Astrid, and by Snart to a lesser extent.

"I kind of like it here," Snart admitted. "It's quiet, there aren't any emergencies we have to handle, and most of the dragons are friendlier than the wild ones on Berk. Of course, the diet of fish, fish, and fish is getting tired, and I'll be glad to sleep in a real bed again."

"I was thinking about Hiccup," Astrid answered.

"Of course you were."

"No, I mean he's got the only dragon on Berk right now, so he has to handle all the emergencies. And he doesn't have our help to do it, either."

"Yeah, he'll be glad to see us again, that's for sure. I was wondering why he and Toothless didn't just fly up here to see us, until I realized he'd have to leave Berk in the hands of Lout and the twins."

"Definitely a bad idea," Astrid nodded.

After ten days, the little dragons had nearly doubled in size, and all of them were learning to fly. "It probably won't be long until they try flying home," Astrid commented. "And then we'll get to go home, too."

"I've been thinking about that," Snart replied. "Hiccup wants to know where all the other dragons went. What if, instead of flying back to Berk, we stay with the rest of the dragons and see where they go?"

"You can do that if you want," Astrid said. "I want to get home. There's somebody there I really miss."

"Okay," agreed Snart. "You can go home and give a report on what we've learned; I'll follow the dragons, then come home and report on what I find. Between us, we'll add so much to the Book of Dragons, it'll keep Fishlegs busy until next Snoggletog."

On the twelfth day, some of the dragons began lifting into the air with their babies. Once they were sure the little ones could keep up, they turned southwest. Others followed. Apparently, the return flight was not a mass migration, but was done in bits and pieces, as the little dragons became ready.

Stormfly called for her rider near the end of the day; she looked restless. Skybaby showed no signs of readiness. Astrid mounted her dragon for the first time since they'd arrived. "Snart, I've got to go! But I'll see you when you get home!"

"Tell Hiccup where I'm going! And take good care of those dragon babies!" he called as they soared away. Now he was the only human being on the island. He wasn't really alone; he had Skybaby, and her two chicks were also fond of him. Both their father and her new mate had already left. The island was gradually losing its population.

This was the first time he'd been truly alone since his farming days. Back then, he was used to it. Now, he didn't like it so well. Perhaps he'd helped change the Academy, but the Academy was changing him, too.

He spent most of the next day sitting on the rocks, watching the remaining dragonets play. Their proportions had filled out so that they looked like miniature adults rather than hatchlings, and their games of catch-me-who-can were played more in the air than on land. Some of the brave ones, including Skybaby's pair, were trying their hand at fishing. Their attempts were comical to watch. At one point, the green one caught hold of a fish as big as she was, and before she could let go, her intended prey took her for what would someday be called a "Nantucket sleigh ride." They still had to depend on their mother for food.

As the sun descended into the sea, Skybaby showed no signs of wanting to fly home. "What do you think, Baby? One more night, just like old times?" The two young dragons curled up under Skybaby's left wing, and Snart made himself comfortable under her right wing. When he awoke, the hatchlings were curled up next to him.

Later that morning, the Nadder began nudging her young with her nose. They rose into the air on small but strong wings. Then she turned to her rider, crooning urgently. "Is it time to go home? No problem; I'm all packed." Snart leaped onto her neck, and they rose into the morning sky, headed southwest. Only a few dragon families remained on the island as they left.

Snart's plan to follow the other dragons came to nothing. For one thing, there weren't any other dragons in the air for them to follow. For another, Skybaby was determined to get her young ones safely home, which meant Berk, and resisted Snart's attempts to steer her anywhere else. They flew slowly but steadily; the two dragonets experimented with air currents and gliding. By the time the island of Berk came into view, they were almost as good at soaring as their mother.

The rest of the Academy rushed to greet them as they landed, and they had quite a reunion. The twins were focused on the colorful young dragons, while Hiccup was overjoyed to see Snart again.

"We were scared for you, Snart! Nobody knew where you'd gone. We finally decided you must have gotten onto Skybaby when you saw the dragon migration overhead, and everybody else kicked themselves for being too slow. It wasn't until Astrid got home that we found out what really happened."

"It was an experience to remember, Hiccup. I'm glad I got to see it, and I'll tell you all about it. But right now, I'd give my silver badge in exchange for something to eat that isn't fish!"


	29. Chapter 29

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 29

Snart began making his report in the Mead Hall while he ate. Hiccup plied him with questions, and Fishlegs wrote down everything and added some questions of his own. When he was done with his meal, they walked back to the Academy, still trading questions and answers. They were still going strong when the sun went down.

"You still haven't got to the best part!" protested Ruffnut.

"Which part is that?" Snart wondered.

"The part about you and Astrid alone on that island," leered Tuffnut.

"I already told you everything about that."

"But you didn't say anything!" Ruff said.

"Exactly."

"Oh, come on!" Tuff objected. "You expect us to believe the two of you were alone on a desert island for almost _two weeks_, and you just treated her like your _sister?_"

"That's what I expect you to believe, because it's the truth. And I'll thank you not to tell any lies about me. Or her, for that matter."

"You're no fun," muttered Tuff as the two of them stalked away, leaving Hiccup and Snart in the darkening arena.

"Really, nothing happened? Nothing?" Hiccup asked earnestly.

"Nothing, as in _'nothing'_," Snart answered. "I'm sure she told you the same thing. Hiccup, she's pretty, she's nice, but there's no attraction between us."

"Where _is_ the attraction? With Ruffnut?" Snart answered by clutching his throat and making gagging noises. Hiccup chuckled.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't worry a little, thinking of the two of you out there by yourselves. I won't worry again, about either of you. And thank you for helping take care of her out there."

"She didn't need much caring for. We helped each other fifty-fifty. In fact, now that she's been through this experience, you should think very seriously about giving Astrid her Dragon Master pin. But now I have a question. What's going to happen to all the little dragons that came back to Berk?"

"They'll be trained, like any other dragon. They're very appealing to children who get nervous around a full-sized dragon. The next generation will grow up with dragons all around them as friends, not enemies."

"I'm with you on that, Hiccup, as long as they remember that a little dragon isn't a pet. It might be good for us to check up on the dragonets now and then, and make sure they're being cared for properly."

"Snart, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were acting like a stepfather to those dragon babies!"

Snart paused. "Maybe I am. But I still think we need to keep an eye on things, especially in homes where the adults aren't dragon trainers."

"If you can do it without being nosy, then go ahead. If anybody complains, you're on your own."

"Deal," said Snart. "And now that I've had a decent meal for the first time in almost two weeks, I'd like to remember what a bed feels like. I'll be back at the Academy tomorrow."

The next day, after dealing with some Academy business, Snart walked through the streets of Berk. He saw several young dragons; as Hiccup had suggested, they were mostly in the care of children, under the supervision of parents. He was pleased to see Skybaby's green daughter learning some basic commands from a girl who wasn't much taller than the little dragon. He took a moment to tell the girl's mother she was doing well.

He wasn't so happy to find the magenta dragonet. She was playing catch with a small boy as his parents watched. The child wasn't being cruel or thoughtless. But the dragon had a copper ring fastened around its neck, and the ring looked tighter than it ought to be. He waited until the game was ending, and tried Astrid's honey-and-the-hatchet tactics.

"Oh, you've made friends with my Skybaby's daughter! Very nice. It looks like you're taking good care of her. Would you mind if I took a quick look at her, to make sure she got through the migration okay?"

"Go right ahead, Dragon Master," the father said respectfully. The boy looked on curiously as Snart ran his hands over the dragon. He didn't expect to find anything wrong with her, and he didn't. But he checked the copper ring, and sure enough, it didn't leave much room for the dragon. It was made in two pieces, with a hinge and a clasp; it couldn't be adjusted.

"Sir, _Frue_, may I say something to you privately?"

"Noseblow, go get us a bucket of water from the well," the father ordered. The boy ran off obediently. "Is there something wrong with the dragon?"

"Not at all, ummm...?"

"Boartooth. This is Nestegg, and my son is Noseblow."

"Boartooth, there's nothing wrong with the dragon. She's in fine shape, and your son treats her well. Who actually trained her?"

"I did," said Boartooth. "I'm letting Noseblow work with her as much as he can handle. Now that dragons are our friends, it will be good for him to grow up with one."

"I agree, and I'm glad to hear that from you. My one concern is that ring around her neck. It's a bit tight, and it will feel tighter as she keeps growing. It's going to keep her from eating properly; she won't be able to swallow her food, probably in a week or two."

"Is it that serious?" Nestegg asked anxiously.

"Not today, but it will be," Snart assured her. "If it stays on too long, it could even keep her from breathing."

Nestegg was about to say something, but Boartooth motioned her to silence. "My son really likes that ring. He says it's a sign that she's his dragon. None of the other dragons wear one."

"There's a reason for that," nodded Snart. The magenta dragon had wandered over to where he was standing, and leaned up against him. He stroked her neck absently as he continued. "Many dragons wear a saddle or a harness as a sign of ownership, and we think the dragons really like it. But a sign like that has to have some 'give' to it, so the dragon has room to grow. This Nadder will be as tall as you are before summer gets here. If you want something around her neck, I'd suggest a leather belt, with a shiny buckle so you can loosen it as the dragon gets bigger."

"That's not what my son wants," Boartooth said, with a trace of anger.

"Sir, making your son unhappy is the last thing I want to do," Snart said quickly. "If it was just a matter of style, I'd mind my own business. But —"

"Then why don't you do just that!" ordered Boartooth; Nestegg hid behind him. "You said yourself, there's nothing wrong with the dragon. You let me handle my son and my household, my way. Or are you saying I'm raising my son wrong?"

"This has nothing to do with your son, or with you," Snart retorted; the magenta dragon hid behind him. "This is about an intelligent, sociable creature that's too small to protect itself, and soon won't be able to eat or breathe. As a member of the Dragon Training Academy, that _is_ my business."

"I think you should leave now," growled Boartooth.

"That ring needs to come off, sir." The two of them stared at each other until Noseblow returned with the bucket of water. Snart stepped away. "I'm going to be watching this situation, sir. As soon as there's a clear problem, I am _going_ to act on that dragon's behalf. Please deal with it before I have to." Snart turned and stalked away.

Two nights later, as the Academy was closing up for the evening, Hiccup pulled Snart aside. "I got a complaint about you from one of the villagers," he began.

"A villager named Boartooth?"

"He said you threatened him. Tell me what happened."

Snart related the story from start to finish. When he was done, Hiccup looked unhappy.

"I believe you," he said. "And it does sound like there's going to be a problem. But this could make the Academy look really bad. There has to be some way to work this out so everybody's happy."

"I know that's what you always try to do, Hiccup. And most of the time, it works. But sometimes, people just aren't reasonable. I figure that ring will be getting too tight in about a week; we need to do something by then if Boartooth doesn't."

"What are you going to do?"

"I plan to visit their house with a fish, about this big. If the dragon can't swallow it, that means the ring is too tight. In that case, I'm taking the dragon to visit Gobber, who will remove the ring and work it into a copper belt buckle. Gutrumble, the leatherworker, has made some gorgeous belts with tooled and painted dragons on them; I'll buy one for the dragon, to go around her neck in place of the ring, and I'll pay Gobber for his work."

"The only thing wrong with that plan, Snart, is that you can't just take their dragon away without asking."

"What do you mean, 'their' dragon? People don't own dragons; dragons belong to themselves. Do you own Toothless?" Hiccup had to shake his head. "If you can think of a better plan, Hiccup, I'll do it. But I will _not_ let that little dragon die."

"I think we both need to think real hard about a better plan. We've ended the war between Vikings and dragons. I don't want a war between Vikings and dragon trainers."

Snart tried very hard to come up with a better plan. He asked Astrid's advice; he consulted with Stoick to learn more about Boartooth; he visited other families with young dragons. He came up with nothing.

Two days before his self-imposed one-week deadline, he slowly walked past Boartooth's house, Skybaby a few steps behind him. He didn't have a goal in mind, except perhaps to hope that they'd taken off the ring themselves. He couldn't see the young dragon, but he did see some motion at the window. Boartooth came boiling out, ready to shred Snart verbally if not physically; but the sight of Skybaby stopped him in his tracks.

"What do you want here, Dragon Master?" He spat out the title like an insult.

"I brought your dragon's mother by for a visit."

"We don't want you here. You can go now."

"My dragon hasn't seen her daughter since they returned to Berk. Are you so heartless that you'll stand between your dragon and her mother?"

"I don't hear the dragon complaining," Boartooth growled.

"Sir, look at this dragon." Skybaby had grown slightly over the past few months, but she was still small for a Nadder. Even a small Nadder dwarfed a human, though. "Look how big she is; look at the size of her neck. That's how big your dragon should be in about two years. Do you think she'll get that big with that tiny ring around her neck?"

Boartooth took a long look, then took a long thought. "What am I supposed to tell my son?" he asked. Nestegg stepped out the door and stood near her husband.

"Tell him it's so his dragon can grow big and strong, like you. I have an idea for him to mark the dragon that he might like."

"That's easy for you to say, Dragon Master," Boartooth said, not quite so belligerently. "You don't have to listen to him crying all day."

"Is that what this is all about — you don't want your son to cry?"

"I hate it when he cries," Nestegg cut in. "It breaks my heart. We'll do almost anything to keep that from happening."

Something in Snart snapped. He took a step toward them, leaving the safety he got from being near his dragon. "Life is going to make him cry a lot more than _this_ before he's done! We all have disappointments; things go wrong for all of us; and the sooner we get used to that and learn to deal with it, the better off we'll be.

I'm sure you have big dreams for your son; you probably want him to be a brave warrior when he grows up. But if you don't teach him to handle a little disappointment now, how will he learn to handle warrior-sized problems later? He'll grow up expecting everything in life to go right, and when it doesn't, he won't know what to do about it."

"Like Dagur?" Boartooth asked.

"Yes, very much like Dagur," Snart went on, warming to his subject. "We all know about Oswald the Agreeable and how easy-going he was. I'd wager a gold mark that he was just as easy-going with his son. He never taught him to handle hardship, so when Dagur was grown, he was nothing but a spoiled terror who couldn't handle it when he didn't get his own way, and doubly dangerous because he had a large and powerful tribe ready to obey his every whim. And I _know_ you don't want Noseblow to grow up like _him_."

"That's big talk from a young man," Boartooth growled. "You have a pretty soft life; you have a dragon that follows you everywhere, the town gives you food and shelter, all you do is fly around all day. Who are you to lecture me on how hard life can be?"

Snart stepped right up to the bigger man. "Sir, when I was five years old, my sister was killed by a wolf. When I was thirteen, both my parents caught a fever and died, and left me with the family farm and no idea what to do with it. I was rejected by everyone in my own village; I had no friends at all for years. My first dragon went to sleep one night and was dead when I woke up the next morning. My second dragon flew away one day and never came back. I've known hunger and cold, I've faced storms and angry warriors, and I've dodged fire from a dragon whose _head_ was the size of your house.

"I know a thing or two about how hard life can be, sir. But I survived, and do you know why? It wasn't because I'm tough or because I'm strong. It's because I just never considered quitting. I cried, I got over it, and I kept on going. Because crying isn't the end of the world."

There was another long silence. Finally, Nestegg asked, "Are you a dragon trainer or a parent trainer?"

"Training a dragon and raising a child aren't so different, _Frue_. You have to be firm, you have to be consistent, you have to expect that the child won't understand your motives, and you have to put what's good for the child, long-term, ahead of what's easiest for you, short-term."

"How many children have you raised?" asked Boartooth.

"None, sir. But I've trained three dragons, and I've pacified many others, including yours. Skybaby, here, used to wail and keen if I got more than ten feet away from her. Believe me, it hurt me to hear her cry! I've worked with her, though, and now she's willing to let me out of her sight for an hour or more without a problem. She's not perfect, but none of us are, and I'm still working with her."

Boartooth sized up the dragon, then the rider. "Tell me about this plan of yours to mark my son's dragon." Snart described his idea for the belt and buckle. Boartooth slowly nodded.

"Could there be a ship on it, too?" Nestegg asked. "You're right about him wanting to be a warrior some day; he loves his toy longship."

"Sure, we'll ask Gobber to engrave a longship into the buckle. Your son will have a dragon marker that's uniquely his. It'll grow as the dragon grows, and as he grows, too. In fact —" he leaned closer to them and lowered his voice "— I'll bet that when the other children with small dragons see it, they'll want one, too." That made Nestegg smile. Boartooth nodded, and Snart knew he wouldn't have to kidnap any dragons in the night. Hiccup would have his everybody-happy answer.

He had to smile as he walked back to the Academy. "Skybaby, I'm beginning to think there's _nothing_ you and I can't handle together."


	30. Chapter 30

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 30

It was about three weeks later when the dragon cloud arrived over Berk. They weren't nearly as numerous as the egg-laying flight, but their appearance caused just as much of a stir. They were almost all Nadders, with a few Nightmares, a Skrill, and a Timberjack. For the first day, all they did was fly back and forth over the town.

Fishlegs was agog at the sight of a Timberjack. First, he used Gobber's long-distance viewing device to watch it from the ground. Then he and Meatlug took off to get a closer look. Then they returned to the ground, shaken, after four of the Nadders tried to flame them. Meatlug, so clumsy on the ground, was quite agile in the air, and was able to dodge all the firebolts, but one came close enough to raise a burn on Fishlegs' arm.

"I never heard of dragons attacking other dragons like that," he fussed. "There's something wrong with this flock."

"We've had people coming in all day, asking about them," Hiccup nodded. "My dad wants to know if we should man our defenses against them. I don't know what to tell him. They don't want food, they aren't friendly, they aren't going anywhere... it's just strange."

"If it was me, I'd say yes, prepare some defenses," Snart advised. "They aren't acting like other dragons, so the way we get along with _our_ dragons doesn't apply. We have no idea what they _might_ do, so we ought to be ready for what they _could_ do."

"Like he said, we should be on our guard for anything," Astrid nodded. "I don't want to fight dragons, but if _they_ fight _us_, we have to be ready."

"I'll pass the word," Hiccup said, and went looking for a Terror to deliver a message to Stoick.

That afternoon saw things happen in Berk that hadn't happened in over a year. The fish trays were cleaned out and replaced with oil-soaked firewood. The catapults were cleaned, and stones were hauled up to them, ready to shoot. Fishermen-turned-warriors descended on Gobber's smithy in search of weapons they thought they'd never have to use again. Water buckets were filled and placed strategically all over town.

"Stoick wants to know what you're doing with our dragons, Hiccup?" the second-in-command, Spitelout, wanted to know.

"We're staying on the ground, and we're herding all our dragons up to the pastures," Hiccup answered. "If those dragons up there attack us, you can fight back with no fear of hitting a friend. If a battle starts, I'll help Gobber in the forge, and the other Academy people will be on fire patrol."

"Good. I'll tell Stoick."

Snart pulled Hiccup aside. "There's one friendly dragon that _ought_ to be up in the sky. Toothless is as effective at night as in the daytime, and none of us could ever confuse him with one of those mystery dragons."

"That's true, Snart. But I want to stay on the ground for now. My dad counts on me for advice about dragons, and now is when he really needs me around."

"Okay. I'm keeping Skybaby in the Academy arena; she knows there's something going on, and she wants to be near me."

Sunset came and went. The entire town was on edge. Mothers and children huddled in their homes while the fathers, armed and armored, waited outside. Conversations were hushed, as though they feared that the dragons might overhear and understand.

Just before midnight, it came. There had never been such a dragon raid on Berk before. The dragons made no attempt to steal fish or sheep; they simply dealt out flaming violence at every likely target. The Nadders landed all over town and burned anything bigger than a breadbox, while the other types rained down fire from the sky.

Commands were shouted that hadn't been heard in over a year. "Light the torches!" "Man the catapults!" "Fire detail, to the Mead Hall!" "_Kill_ that dragon!" The Vikings might have been out of practice, but they were not lacking in ferocity to protect their homes.

The Timberjack was the first to fall. It was too big a target to miss; a catapult stone hit it squarely and brought it down somewhere out at sea. The nimble Nadders were harder to hit in the air. But when they landed, the Viking counter-attack was also unprecedented. Some warriors rushed at them with axe and shield, but some approached them with fish and dragon-nip. There was no shortage of light to fight by; even if the torches had not been lit, the flames from burning houses and sheds lit up the night. After less than an hour, the surviving dragons flew back into the sky. Those with good night vision could see them flying back and forth, the way they had done earlier.

The sun rose on a badly hurt town. Over half the village was homeless; at least twenty people were hurt, and two of those might not make it. Stoick called in the town leaders, including Hiccup, to get their reports.

"We killed at least five of them, maybe six," Spitelout announced.

"We trained six and took them out of the fight," Hiccup added. He didn't think it was the best time to mention that two of those six were injured, and that Snart was doctoring them in the upper pastures.

"I can still see over thirty of them, and they're circling us like vultures," Stoick rumbled. "We can't handle another attack like last night. Hiccup, you and your Academy have _got_ to find a way to stop them!"

"We're trying, Dad. Every time we take off, three or four of them fly down and follow us; and if we try to get close to them, they attack. We're going to have an emergency meeting as soon as we're done putting out the fires in town."

"Hiccup, I'm taking your people off fire detail. If you can't find out why they're attacking us, and find a way to stop them... well, this is why we have a Dragon Training Academy." Hiccup nodded and ran off to round up his friends.

"Okay, you all know why we're here," he began once everyone was seated. "We're the only ones who might be able to stop those dragons before they raid us again. You've seen what they did to the town; another raid or two like that, and there won't _be_ any town. I'm open to any ideas, no matter how crazy they might seem."

"Could there be another Red Death, controlling them?" asked Astrid.

"Could be," nodded Hiccup, "but I doubt it. All the Red Deaths ever wanted was food, and these dragons don't seem to care about that."

"Maybe they're just doing it for the fun of it," offered Tuffnut as he laid back in his seat.

"I could believe that if it was just the Skrill," Snart said. "If all Skrill are like Skyraider was, then they're thrill-seekers who don't care much about people. But there's only one Skrill up there."

"And all the others are following him," Ruffnut muttered.

"What?" Hiccup and Snart asked at the same time.

"That Skrill is always in the front of them," she said. "When he turns, they turn; when he goes straight, they all follow. Didn't you notice that?"

"No, I didn't," Hiccup sighed. "I was too busy watching the whole formation to notice single dragons."

"Fishlegs," Snart asked, "do dragons play follow-the-leader?" Stoick quietly joined the meeting as Fishlegs replied.

"They do it all the time when they're learning to fly. Usually, there's one dominant one that takes the lead, and the others follow wherever he goes."

"What about those dragons that fled after the Red Death died?" Hiccup wondered. "They were used to doing things together as a flock, and suddenly they lost their leader. Would they follow any leader, just because they're used to being followers?"

"Skrills are smart," Snart added. "They're Strike Class, so they're dominant among other dragons. They'd be natural leaders if there wasn't something more powerful around."

"If that's what they're doing," Snotlout cut in, "then all we have to do is kill the leader."

"How are we going to do that?" Astrid shot back. "Dragons don't fight dragons on command."

"Toothless would do it, if I explained the problem to him," Hiccup said. "But how do I get him close enough to that Skrill without getting ambushed by the other dragons?"

"We have six dragons between us," Snart answered. "If we all take off at once and scatter, that will draw most of them down after us. If you can break away from your unwanted escort, you'll have a clean shot at the Skrill."

"And if I can't break away? Toothless is fast, but he's also outnumbered."

"Then maybe one of the rest of us will get a chance," Snart persisted. "We'll all fly as fast as we can, and if the bad dragons stop following us, we can gain height, fly back, and make a diving attack. Tell your dragon to aim near it, then nudge its head to make a killing strike."

"We still don't know if taking out the leader will stop the attacks," Hiccup protested.

Stoick rose. "Even if it doesn't, you've _got_ to try it! The people are _scared_, Hiccup. They've got no hope. Seeing you bring down one of those dragons, even just one, will make them feel better than all the talk I could ever give them. And that's one less dragon to hurt us again tonight." His voice softened. "I've never meddled in Academy business before, Hiccup, but this isn't just about you and the dragons. It's about the whole village."

"You're right, Dad," Hiccup nodded. "We'll do it as soon as we can get to our dragons. They're all in the upper pastures, helping keep the peace with the others."

"Except for Crybaby here," Snotlout interjected, jerking his thumb at Skybaby behind them. Snart tried to ignore him.

"Okay, here's the plan," Hiccup began. "Astrid, Snart, you fly out to sea. Legs, you follow the coast north; Lout, go south. Ruff, Tuff, you and I are going to fly inland. Stay low, fly fast, and spread out, so _they_ have to spread out to follow us. If they stop following you, keep going for a minute to make sure; then gain some height, circle back, and make a diving attack, like Snart said. These dragons don't play nice, so stay on your guard and don't take chances. If they don't let you go, swing back here by lunch time so we can plan something else. Any questions?"

"Are we getting a battle star for this?"

"Lout, that ought to be the _last_ thing on our minds. Okay, go get your dragons. Take off as soon as you can. Snart, when you see us taking off, that's your cue to go. Riders, let's fly!" They headed for the pastures at a trot.

Snart had Skybaby ready for flight in no time. He waited until Astrid and Stormfly whipped by overhead before letting Skybaby take off to join her. He watched Astrid's heading and veered away at an angle. The waves were just a dragon-length beneath them; the sensation of speed was intoxicating.

He glanced back. Nadders were peeling off from the main formation to follow the dragons from Berk. Seven were headed in his direction; four eventually followed Astrid, leaving three on his own tail.

"Okay, Baby, I don't know if we can outfly them, but it's going to be fun to try! Let's see what you've got!" His dragon needed no urging; she surged forward at her best speed. Their pursuers fell behind for a moment; one of them stayed behind, but the other two labored and made up the distance.

"Okay, they aren't better than us. Let's test them a little, Baby! Loop!" The green dragon pulled up suddenly. The pursuing dragons also pulled up, but they weren't expecting Skybaby to continue her vertical turn until she'd looped right over their heads. One tried to copy the loop; the other turned to keep her in sight, and when she finished the loop, she left that one facing the wrong way. Now her pursuers were stretched out in a line behind them.

"Nice one, Baby! They'll be out of fire range for a few seconds, and I like it that way. Rest for a bit while they catch up, and we'll give them some more razzle-dazzle." Skybaby stopped flapping and glided, allowing the fastest of her pursuers to overtake her. Then she pulled up into another loop.

The pursing Nadders were ready for this, and turned so they could fall in behind her when she finished the loop. But this time, when she was halfway around, she rolled right-side-up and flew back the way she had come. Future fliers would call this an Immelmann turn; Snart called it a loop-up, and it left the two fastest pursuers too low and out of position.

The slowest one saw a chance to intercept its prey as they headed toward it, and flew upward, preparing to flame. But Skybaby pulled into another loop-up, reversing her direction again. Now she had a height advantage, and the other Nadders were scattered and had no idea where she would go next. She used this advantage in a long, shallow dive that opened the distance between them to nearly half a mile. One by one, the pursuers gave up and turned back toward Berk.

"Baby, you are awesome! Let's keep going until they're out of sight. I hope the others are having good luck, too." Skybaby chirped and kept going. Snart took one more look behind him; they had the ocean to themselves.

"Let's start climbing. Up, Baby! Nice and easy; save your strength." They rose easily, and for a few seconds, Snart could relax and exult in the sheer joy of flying. Then he put his mind back on the unpleasant business at hand. "A little higher, Baby. We want to be well above them. Okay, let's head home. I'm not looking forward to this." Skybaby turned to look back at him, puzzled by his tone. He reassured her by stroking her neck, and she stretched out and flew eastward.

In a few minutes, they saw land, with a flock of dragons flying back and forth across it. As they drew nearer, they could make out the lustrous purple of the Skrill that led the flock. Ruffnut was right — the other dragons copied the movements of their leader. He checked the rest of the sky to make sure he wasn't about to be ambushed. To the east, he saw one dark speck, high and distant but closing fast. That had to be Toothless. The Night Fury wouldn't hesitate to flame another dragon if it was necessary; Snart didn't know whether Skybaby would do the same. So he turned aside. He'd follow Hiccup in and give Toothless the first shot. Skybaby would be right behind him if needed.

Toothless was about five hundred feet above him when he folded his wings and dove. Snart waited until the moment when the Night Fury flashed by before starting his own dive. Toothless's speed in a dive was unmatchable. Snart watched as the black dragon curved to adjust his aim, steadied, and fired. But the whistling sound of his dive must have alerted the Skrill. Their target turned sharply, and Toothless' shot hit its outer wing panel — a damaging hit, but not a fatal one. The Skrill screamed and flapped hard, trying to stay in the air.

"Baby, we're going to fire! Aim right there!" He pointed to an empty space in the sky. "Ready... FIRE!" The Nadder's brilliant shaft of fire lanced out, and passed through that space in the sky just as the Skrill's other wing also passed through it. No dragon could stay in the air with that kind of damage to both wings. The Skrill fell like a broken kite until it hit the water. There was one great splash, a flash of light as the dragon's electricity discharged into the water, then nothing.

Ahead of them, Toothless was pulling out of his dive; Snart did the same. He glanced upwards. The flock of dragons wasn't pursuing them! They kept going in the direction they were already headed, out to sea, paying no heed to their fallen leader.

The two dragons landed on the sea cliff, joining Stoick and Gobber, and they watched as the unknown dragons flew out of sight. Over the next fifteen minutes, the other four dragon riders returned. None of them had been able to elude their pursuers.

"It looks like ye were right," Gobber said. "Ye got the leader, and the rest don't know what to do."

"Let's wait a little longer and make sure they don't return," Stoick suggested.

"While we're waiting," Astrid began, "suppose you tell me how you got away from those Nadders, Snart? Stormfly is bigger and stronger than Skybaby, and _we_ couldn't get rid of them."

"We gave them some fancy acrobatics in the air," Snart shrugged. "Dragon against dragon is a fair fight. Put a human in control of your dragon, and the other dragons don't have a chance." He glanced at Hiccup, who nodded in agreement.

"Is that what you did, Hiccup? Fancy dancing in the air?"

"That, and pure speed. Astrid, Snart, nothing personal, but on the day a Nadder can catch a Night Fury, I'll quit training dragons and take up farming. Nothing personal some more, Snart." Everyone looked out to sea in silence for a few seconds.

"What happens next?" Stoick asked.

"Eventually, those dragons will realize they're headed for nowhere, and they'll turn and come back here," Snart suggested. "But they won't be warlike. Just tired and hungry."

"That sounds right," agreed Hiccup. "I suggest we put plenty of fish out for them, and get everybody off the shore line so there aren't any incidents. Once they've eaten, some will probably go back to wherever they came from, and some will stay for the free food. We can train those whenever we want. Without their thrill-seeking leader, they won't be a threat to us. There _won't_ be another raid." Everyone cheered at this.

Everyone, that is, but Snart, who turned away from the others.

"Hey, what's with you?" demanded Snotlout. "You won a battle star, you killed your first dragon, you get to be the hero _again_, so what's your problem?"

Snart turned back toward the group and quietly said, "I knew that dragon."

Stunned silence fell. Astrid stammered, "You mean... that was..."

"I'd know those markings anywhere," Snart whispered, staring at the ground.

"You killed your own dragon?" Ruffnut gasped.

"He was never mine, not really. Skybaby is my dragon. And... I had to do it, for the village. It's the Viking way." Stoick nodded, his eyes wider than usual, but said nothing.

That night, everyone in the village celebrated their dragon riders' victory. Everyone except one. That one spent the night in the Academy, next to his dragon, sheltered under her wing.


	31. Chapter 31

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 31

The twins found them there the next morning. Tuffnut turned away in disgust, but Ruffnut watched them for a few minutes. Later that day, she pulled Astrid aside and told her what she'd seen.

"That just isn't right, Astrid. I know some of you like your dragons more than others, but... that isn't right. He needs a girl friend or something."

"Okay, Ruff, who do you suggest? You?"

"Yeah, right. When Muspelheim freezes over! He's too nice. If I didn't eat him alive, my brother would."

"If you have any good ideas, I'd be glad to hear them."

"Astrid, _anything_ has to be better than spending the night next to a dragon! I mean, shouldn't they get married first or something?"

Astrid snorted, and they went their separate ways. But later that night, she gave the matter some thought. It seemed obvious that Snart would be happier with someone he could share his life with. But who? Most of the girls in Berk were already spoken for, and very few would make a good match for him anyway. Either they were too overbearing, or they had no regard for creative thinking.

What about Hildi? They certainly had a lot in common, and they respected each other. They still sparred from time to time, though; was that healthy? She thought of her own relationship with Hiccup, and how often she had to hit him in the arm. But that wasn't an obstacle to their happiness. The bottom line was that Hildi was honor-bound to stay in Machen and defend her town and her people, and Snart would never leave the Academy. She put the thought on the back burner.

Next morning, at the Academy's daily meeting, when Hiccup asked if anybody had any new ideas, Snart put in a request. "I'd like to find out if Norpi village would like to have a dragon rider, and if they do, I'd like to teach him."

"Why Norpi, Snart?" Hiccup asked.

"They're the next town over from Hulm, and even since Hulm got a dragon, Norpi hasn't had a chance," Snart answered. "I saw first-hand how one dragon can tip the scales on a raid. And we've seen how raids go nowhere when both sides have a dragon, like happened in Machen. It's part our fault that Hulm has a dragon, so it would be fair to even the score by getting a dragon trainer in Norpi."

"Why should we care if Hulm and Norpi fight each other?" Snotloud demanded. "Neither one of them has anything to do with us. Let 'em beat each other senseless!" The twins agreed.

"Okay, we've got one good reason to do it, and one reason not to do it," Hiccup suggested. "Are there any other reasons?"

"I've got one!" called Fishlegs. "We just gained a whole bunch of new dragons here, from the ones that were in that raiding flock and didn't fly away. And I heard some of the fishermen say the dragons are eating too much. So if we can send one or two dragons to another town, that will be good for us."

"And the dragons," added Astrid. "We're almost out of trainers here. In another town, they'll get good riders."

"We hope," nodded Snart.

"Okay, it's settled," decided Hiccup. "Snart, you're in charge of this project. You can fly to Norpi and see if they're interested. Let us know what happens." The meeting ended and everyone went about their business.

Snart and Skybaby left about an hour later. One small problem was that he didn't know the way to Norpi. He could find Hulm with no problem, and then follow the path to Norpi, but he was utterly unwelcome in his old home town. He decided to fly fast and low over Hulm, in the hope that no one would see him, until he picked up the path. Skybaby was nimble in the air and had no problem flying low, almost dancing between the taller trees while skimming over the shorter ones. He saw no sign that he had been noticed, and soon he found the path he was looking for.

When he got to Norpi, his first reaction was dismay. The town was a smoking shambles. Many buildings were burned out. Had they been raided by another rogue flock of dragons? He directed Skybaby to land in the town common, where he quickly became the center of attention. All the men carried weapons and seemed eager to use them.

"Who are you and what do you want?" demanded a big fellow.

"My name is Snart, and I'm from Berk," he answered politely. "I'd like to speak to your chief."

"You're talking to him. Talk faster."

"What happened here, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Hulm happened here," the chief replied; all the others spat when he said the town's name. "Ever since they got that _forbannet_ dragon, they've raided us every time they felt like it. This time, stealing all our food wasn't good enough; they had to torch the entire town!"

"How would you like to get your own dragon-rider to defend yourselves?" Snart asked.

"We're listening."

"I'd like to check your young people for one or two likely riders, and take them for a short test flight. If they pass my tests, and if their parents give permission, I'll take them to Berk, where they'll choose a dragon and I'll begin to train them. The rest of the training will happen here. Within two or three months, they shouldn't need my help any more."

"What do you get out of this?" demanded another man suspiciously.

"We're trying to cut down on the number of dragons we have to feed," Snart answered. "Also, if I train some more riders, that makes me look better in Berk."

The second man turned to the chief. "If we get two dragons, and they've only got one, _we_ can raid _them_ again for a change."

"That won't work, sir," Snart warned him. "Dragons don't fight other dragons on command. A dragon rider will protect your town against anything Hulm or anybody else can dish out, but he won't be any help if you're attacking other dragons, or other towns that have dragons."

"Defense only?" the chief asked. The two men conferred quietly for a minute or two, then turned back to face Snart.

"You want to check for likely riders. What makes a good rider?"

"They have to be unafraid of dragons and heights, they have to be kind to animals, and they have to be willing to admit they don't know everything."

The two men conferred again; a third man joined them. Finally, the chief decided.

"Before you take any of our young ones away, I want you to take my brother here to Berk and show him all these dragons of yours. If he says it's true, I'll believe it."

"I'll agree to that, sir, as long as you don't mind if I bring him back tomorrow and not today. Skybaby isn't a big dragon, and carrying two men a long distance twice in one day is more than she can handle." He could guess what they were thinking — "if _that_ isn't a big dragon, then how big is 'big'?" After a few seconds, the brother hesitantly stepped over to Skybaby, who looked at him levelly.

"Skybaby, bend down. Take my hand, sir, and swing over the neck, right behind me. That's it. Hold onto me, and brace your neck; she takes a powerful leap at take-off. We'll be back tomorrow. Skybaby, up!" She sprang into the air and headed for the coast. She was much more heavily laden now than on the outbound flight, and Snart had to fly higher than he would have liked; she couldn't dance around the trees this time.

"How long have you been doing this, dragon-rider?" the brother asked.

"Well over a year now," he answered. "I didn't catch your name...?"

"Logbolt, son of Dogbolt, brother of Hogbolt the chief," he said with some pride. "We lost our old chief on a raid into Hulm about a year ago; that was the first time we had to fight dragons, and we've been losing ever since."

Snart chose his words carefully. "We've heard about how Hulm uses their dragon. That's not how we teach dragon training."

" 'We'? Who's 'we'?"

Snart explained about the Dragon Training Academy. He was starting to tell how it began when a burning hot fireball whizzed by, close on their left side. Skybaby instinctively pulled away to the right. Snart looked back.

About a hundred feet back was an angry-looking Gronckle, ridden by an angry-looking rider who was shouting something they couldn't understand. "That's him!" shouted Logbolt. "That's the son of a half-troll, rat-eating munge-bucket who's been terrorizing my village! Hey, you aren't just going to run _away_, are you?"

"If it was just me, I'd teach him a lesson, and one of these days, I'm going to," Snart said urgently. "But with you on my dragon's back as well, we're too heavily loaded to fight. We can still outrun him, even with the extra passenger. Skybaby, go fast. Turn left!" he added as an afterthought. Sure enough, another fireball zipped past them, this time on the right. Before the Gronckle could unleash another shot, Skybaby had opened the distance and left Hulm's dragon far behind.

When they arrived over Berk, Snotlout was engaged in an aerial duel with Ruff and Tuff. Snart kept his distance while pointing out the action to his passenger. The two big dragons were trying to get on each other's tails, but the Zippleback was cumbersome in the air and Lout wasn't a precision flier. Snart saw half a dozen ways they could have improved their practice, but it was probably very impressive to someone like Logbolt who knew nothing about dragons.

He caught sight of a black blur in the air. "Here comes Toothless! This ought to be good." The Night Fury swept in between the two bigger dragons as they passed each other, reached out, and swatted Hookfang on the flank with his front foot. Then he turned on a wingtip and gave Barf and Belch a swat before diving straight down. Neither dragon ever saw Toothless; they looked and saw only each other. Each blamed the other for the swat they had felt, but couldn't figure out how the other had done it. The riders couldn't figure it out, either, and loudly began shouting accusations at each other. Their aerial duel was finished.

"What was that black thing?" Logbolt asked, awed.

"That was Hiccup on Toothless. They're the best. You'll meet them when we land. Skybaby, land us; go home." The green Nadder settled on the cliffs just before the two big dragons joined her. When Hiccup landed a minute later, Lout and the twins were still angrily accusing each other of cheating.

Hiccup welcomed their visitor, showed him the Academy, and arranged for his meals and room for the night. Then Snart took him for a walk in the pastures so he could see the wild dragons. The idea of walking unmolested in a field full of dragons took him some getting used to. Snart demonstrated some simple training techniques on a Gronckle that was blocking their way.

"I thought I'd seen courage, dragon-rider. But to walk up to a dragon with no weapons or shield, just a handful of grass...? And you're going to teach our young people to do this?"

"That's the plan, assuming you give your brother a good report."

"He'll get one! I've never seen or imagined anything like this."

Next morning, Logbolt was given the freedom of the town, so he could look at all the trained dragons and speak to any of their riders. At the Academy meeting, Snart brought up the fact that he'd encountered Tetnuss and had been fired on.

"So much for dragons not attacking dragons on command," shrugged Fishlegs. "I'm going to have to change the Book."

"Maybe he did the old 'fire a warning shot and then nudge the dragon's head' trick," Astrid suggested. "Were you over Hulm?"

"Hulm probably claims that land, but no one lives there. I certainly wasn't over the town," Snart answered. "I was trying to avoid an incident."

"I guess we got one anyway," Hiccup said. "Is there any way to get to Norpi without going through Hulm?"

"I could take the long way north, through Machen and down, which would take almost five hours each way. Or I could take the long way south, through the Berserkers, which I _know_ we don't want to do."

"Or you could stay away from Norpi and Hulm, and just stick to training _our_ dragons," Snotlout suggested.

Hiccup shook his head. "We're already committed to helping Norpi, Lout. If we back out now, they'll never trust us again. Snart, all I can say is, try to stay out of trouble."

Snart left to find Logbolt. He found him chatting amiably with Boartooth, as Noseblow and the little magenta dragon looked on. "Boartooth, sorry to interrupt. Logbolt, ready to go home?"

"I could spend days here! Your dragons really _are_ a part of everyday life! I think the hard part is going to be making my brother believe all of this is true."

The ride home was uneventful, for the first five minutes. As they approached the mainland coast, they saw Tetnuss approaching again. Snart had Skybaby pull a series of aerial dodging maneuvers so the Gronckle couldn't aim at them; the two dragons wound up side-by-side.

"Get out of Hulm's territory, Berk!"

"We're over water, Tetnuss; this is no one's territory."

"Go back where you came from, or I'll blast you into the sea!"

A grin crept across Snart's face. "Oh, _will_ you, then? If you'll let me drop off my passenger, _I_ will throw _you_ into the sea, and I won't need fire to do it!"

"I'd like to see you try," Tetnuss sneered. Skybaby dove for a nearby beach, where Logbolt dismounted.

Snart grinned viciously. "You wanted to see me teach that hornhead a lesson? Watch _this!_" His dragon sprang skyward, relieved to be free of the extra weight, as Tetnuss' Gronckle turned and charged right at them.

Snart repeated his aerial sidesteps, climbs, and dives. The Gronckle took one fiery shot, which missed badly, before they passed each other in mid-air. As they did, Snart called for a loopdown, or a split-S as future pilots would call it. Skybaby rolled upside-down and pulled a tight downward half-loop, so she wound up right underneath the Gronckle and moving in the same direction. Tetnuss frantically scanned the sky for his adversary; he couldn't see her directly under him.

"A little faster, Baby. Good. Up a little..." As he coached his Nadder, he pulled some dragon-nip out of a pocket. At just the right moment, he reached up and slapped the grass onto the other dragon's nose. The wind of their forward motion held it there as Snart withdrew his hand. Skybaby banked down and away as the Gronckle suddenly blissed out and fell like a rock into the sea.

Snart circled them once to make sure Tetnuss was okay; he ignored the stream of curses from the wet young man. Gronckles float (just barely), and once the dragon came to, they'd both be fine. Then he returned to the beach, picked up Logbolt, and continued their journey. Logbolt couldn't stop laughing at what he'd seen. When they arrived in Norpi, he made sure the chief knew about it, too.

"If our teens train with you, they'll be able to do things like that, too?"

"If they stay with their training, they'll learn everything we know," Snart answered.

"Then I accept! If you wait a few minutes, I'll assemble all the young people in the village." Chief Hogbolt was as good as his word, and seven teens of varying ages and varying levels of nervousness were soon standing in front of Skybaby.

Snart ruled two of them out right away; they were terrified of the dragon. A third seemed confident until it was time to climb aboard; then he quavered and backed away. Two more failed the fear-of-heights test while circling the village. (Snart found out later that one of them was Hogbolt's son.) That left two: Wartfoot, a lanky youth who reminded Snart of a slightly older Hiccup, and Maldemer, a short, pretty girl of seventeen who walked with a slight limp. "I can take only one at a time," he said. "Who'd like to go first?" The two looked at each other; shyly, the girl raised her hand.

"Okay, Maldemer... can I call you Mallie?" She nodded. "Mallie, it's time to start the greatest adventure of your life. Climb aboard and brace yourself, just like you did for the test flight. That's good. Hogbolt, we never know how long it takes to find the right dragon for a person. If she hasn't found one in three days, I'll bring her back and let her tell you what's going on. Is that acceptable?" The chief nodded. "Okay, then away we go! Skybaby, up!"

There was no sign of Tetnuss on the ride back to Berk. Mallie didn't say much; she was entranced with the aerial views of the landscape. Not until they passed over Berk, and she saw the dragon pastures, did she loosen her tongue.

"Look at all those dragons! Is my dragon down there?"

"We hope so. The dragons come and go as they please, so the one that's best for you might not be here today. We'll visit the pastures as often as it takes until you find one."

"Oh, I hope, I hope! Imagine, me riding a dragon!"

"You'll get your wish, Mallie. Hang on, we're landing." They touched down on the cliffs near the Academy and dismounted. Snart introduced Mallie to the others, and put her in Astrid's care until he could report the day's events to Hiccup.

Astrid sized up the new arrival. Pretty, the right age, isn't stupid, likes dragons. _Perfect_.

**o**

A/N

_Forbannet_ — accursed

Muspelheim – the Norse mythical realm of fire


	32. Chapter 32

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 32

Hiccup laughed out loud at Snart's description of his aerial duel with Tetnuss. Then he turned serious. "This guy is making a habit of flaming people without provocation. He's turning into a little Kallous on a big dragon, and that's going to be trouble."

"I don't like it either, Hiccup. Especially if I'm going to be coming and going to Norpi every week or so. It's just a matter of time before he gets the drop on me. We need to do something about this. I know you don't like to interfere in other towns' business, but this is a dragon matter. We started it, so we need to finish it."

"Until we have a good plan, I'd appreciate it if you took the long way and avoided Hulm altogether," Hiccup suggested.

"I'll do that once both of Norpi's riders have their dragons," Snart agreed. "We can't ask Skybaby to carry two riders all the way to Machen and then down to Norpi."

"Agreed. Sometimes I wish you'd trained a bigger dragon, Snart. No offense — Skybaby's an excellent dragon, very biddable, a fast learner, nimble in the sky. It would just be nice if she could carry passengers."

"None of us can have everything, Hiccup. While I'm here, I'd like your advice. I have no problem training Mallie, but I was thinking... maybe it's Astrid's turn to have her own student?"

"That's not a bad idea, Snart. You said a while ago that she's ready for her Master's pin, but she's never trained a trainee. Sure — if she's willing, then Mallie is her pupil. You can train the other rider from Norpi when he gets here."

Astrid was surprised by the news, but quite willing. It played right into her larger scheme. The two young women hiked uphill toward the dragon pastures. Astrid was explaining the differences between the various kinds of dragons, and trying to drop hints about Snart; Mallie was wide-eyed, trying to pay attention to Astrid while staring at all the dragons around her.

"They won't hurt us?"

"As long as we don't bother them, they're willing to share the island. They only attack when they feel threatened."

"Or when their rider tells them to," Mallie said sourly.

"You mean Tetnuss, riding in from Hulm? We're trying to do something about him. Something more than just setting all his neighbors up with dragons. I think Snart's working on a plan." Mallie didn't answer; she was staring at the dragons.

They passed a half-asleep Nightmare, a pack of Gronckles resting in a circle with their tails in and heads out, and at least a dozen Nadders of varying colors. Many of them were new arrivals from that attacking flock; some had been pacified during the first raid, and others had tasted the free fish later and decided to stay. Mallie looked at them all, but returned to the Nightmare.

"That's a beauty, Mallie, but he might be a bit much for you." Everybody wanted to train the Nightmares! This one was a bright scarlet with jet-black markings; he seemed almost iridescent in the sunlight. It noticed the humans and swung its huge head to face them, looking irritated.

"Mallie, if you really want to train a Nightmare, you've got to be fearless, but not aggressive. You don't ever —" she got no further before the Nightmare took a long step toward the young woman, nearly bowling her over with its head.

"Hey, who do you think you're pushing?" Mallie demanded, putting both hands on its nose. It pushed her again, and she gave ground, but not much. The dragon's expression changed to one of puzzlement as she stared into its eyes. It growled and gave one more tentative shove; when she didn't yield, its growl dropped into a low rumble of contentment. Astrid just stared.

"I think you might be a natural at this, Mallie. Here, give him a fish." She handed the girl a pollock from her Dragonbag; Mallie took it without taking her eyes off the dragon, held it out, and dropped it into the great mouth when it opened. She stroked the huge nose affectionately. The dragon relaxed its wings and lay down in the grass, rumbling happily.

"You and me, dragon," she sighed. "We're going to do great things together. With a dragon like you, I don't think we _could_ do small things."

Astrid shook her head. "I can't say I did much training here. You didn't need any help at all. Maybe I'll go back to the village and let you two get acquainted."

"Don't leave yet!" Mallie burst out, startling the dragon. "I don't know anything about this kind. I don't know how much she eats, or how high she flies, or anything. I can listen to you and get to know her at the same time."

"Well, Monstrous Nightmares are among the largest of the dragons. Like most dragons, they usually eat once a day, although..." she went on, reciting everything she had memorized from the Book of Dragons. When she paused, Mallie spoke.

"Thank you so much, Astrid! Wartfoot is going to be so happy."

"Wartfoot?"

"He's the other one Snart chose to ride a dragon. His parents told him he couldn't marry me unless I did something special with my life. I think riding a dragon is special, don't you? We'll be a dragon-riding couple! Maybe I should invite Snart to the wedding. After all, he made it happen."

_And maybe I should give up trying to handle Snart's love life,_ Astrid thought to herself.

The two of them stayed up late that night, exchanging girl-talk. Astrid wanted to know about Wartfoot, Mallie wanted to know about Hiccup, and she wanted to know more about Stormfly as well. Astrid was telling her about the Red Death when they heard a muted "whump," followed by cries and shouts of "Fire!"

They rushed outside. A nearby house was beginning to burn; neighbors scrambled to find water buckets. Then there was another "whump" and a fish storage shed burst into flames. Astrid and Mallie rushed to help fight that fire; they both had more experience at fire-fighting than they liked. Then another "whump" and another house burned. Six buildings in all were damaged by fire that night.

Stoick was beside himself the next morning. "What could have caused this?" he demanded of everyone he met.

"It was a Gronckle, Dad," Hiccup finally told him, "and it's probably the one from Hulm."

"How do you know?" Stoick interrogated him.

"Six fires; a Gronckle has a six-shot limit," Hiccup explained. "We found the round fireball holes in the burnt wood, too."

"We've been having troubles with the Gronckle rider from Hulm," added Snart. "He broke off his training early, and we think he's totally under Chief Kallous' thumb. I bruised his pride yesterday; this was probably his revenge."

Stoick scowled. "Kallous? The man's a brute, not a leader. We haven't gone raiding against other towns in years, but maybe it's time."

"Sir, I have a plan that might take care of the problem without starting a war," Snart said. Hiccup looked at him, startled. "Hiccup, I meant to tell you when we had the morning meeting, but this get-together with Stoick happened first. Chief, this obviously affects the whole village, so unless Hiccup objects, you're welcome to listen in on the meeting."

Once they were all seated, Hiccup asked Snart about his plan. When he was done, there was silence for a few seconds. Then Snotlout blurted out, "That is the craziest thing I've ever heard of! It might even work."

"If the first part works, the second part ought to," added Astrid.

"Then let's do it this afternoon, before he can raid us again," Hiccup decided. Stoick nodded in silent approval.

The seven Academy members and their six dragons set out for Hulm that afternoon. Hookfang and Snotlout flew high above the others. Their mission was to look down and find Tetnuss so the others could set up for their roles in the plan. After about twenty minutes, Hiccup saw the Nightmare fold his wings and drop toward them.

"We see him!" Lout was excited. "He's about a mile inland and a little to the south, heading this way."

"Good work, Lout," Hiccup said. "We'll land in that clearing down there, spread out under the trees, and wait for him to fly over."

It took a little over two minutes for Tetnuss to reach them. He wasn't looking down, or he might have seen at least one of the colorful dragons crouching beneath the scant cover of the pine forest. But he certainly saw them when they whizzed by him at their best rate of speed, one by one. He encouraged his dragon to fire on them, but they expected that and dodged easily.

One by one they zoomed past him, curved around while he was distracted by the next one, and repeated their fly-bys. One by one they led him further out to sea. One by one they tricked him into using up five of his Gronckle's six shots. Then they shot skyward and left him.

Tetnuss looked around. There was no land in sight. He had no landmarks. He was lost.

From above, another Gronckle buzzed toward him. "This one, we can't miss!" he grinned. As the dragon opened his mouth to shoot, the big young man on the other Gronckle warned, "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

"Give me one short reason why not!"

"Because I know where the land is, and you don't. We're here to bring you home."

"We? I don't see any 'we,' only..." He turned around slowly. Behind him were the other dragons, gliding easily. "It would be worth it just to bring one or two of you down!"

"One or two?" asked the green Nadder rider. "Your dragon has one shot left. We have all of ours. And you aren't so good at hitting moving targets, Tetnuss. If you attack us, you're a dead man. If you don't find land soon, you're just as dead. You can follow us back to Berk, or wander around the sea until you die; it's your choice. Astrid, please lead us home." They all set a course in the same direction. Fuming with fury, he turned to follow.

They directed him to land inside the stone dragon-training grounds, or the Academy as the Berks called it. As soon as he landed, they pulled a web of heavy chains across the top, sealing him in. The Night Fury, the two Nadders, and their riders entered through a side door. "Have a seat," they ordered.

"If you think you can talk me into joining you, think again," he snarled.

"Anything we can talk you into, someone else can talk you out of," the one they called Snart said. "You're not stupid, but you're not thinking clearly, either."

"And you're going to tell me how to think, is that it? What if I don't _want_ to think like you? What if I don't _want_ to be a weak, spineless weasel like you?"

"Tetnuss, I'm not sure you know weakness when you see it," Hiccup suggested. "When you flew over Berk, what did you see in the streets?"

"Dragons. All kinds of dragons, everywhere. And people."

"Did the people seem to be afraid of the dragons?" Astrid queried.

"No..."

"So we've got a town full of people who aren't afraid of dragons," Snart noted. "That doesn't sound like weakness to me. What would happen if you brought your dragon into your village?"

"I guess everybody would run and... how'd you know I can't bring it into the village?"

"We'll talk about that in a minute," Hiccup said. "But first, I want you to see something." He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted upward, "Target practice!"

Tetnuss watched as the other three dragons took turns swooping toward a tall rock that stuck out of the sea. The Gronckle fired its fireballs, the Nightmare launched streams of liquid flame, and one head of the Zippleback coughed up balls of gas that the other head ignited as they passed the rock. Not one shot missed.

"We've seen your marksmanship, Tetnuss, and it puzzled us," Hiccup went on. "Gronckles usually shoot better than that. It was Snart who finally figured it out."

"You've done something with your dragon that none of the rest of us have done," Snart took up the story. "You've trained it to shoot at other dragons on command. But you've paid a high price for that kind of obedience. You've trained your dragon to ignore his own will, and do exactly what you command and nothing else."

"The reason our dragons don't miss," Astrid added, "is because we point out a target and let the dragon do the aiming. Your dragon won't dare do that; it fires exactly where you're pointing. And a human can't shoot fire better than a dragon, can he?"

"It's the same with navigation," Hiccup continued. "Sometimes we get lost at sea, but we know our dragons will always take us to the nearest land. Your dragon won't do that. He only goes where you tell him to go."

"Well, what good is a dragon that won't do what you tell it to?" Tetnuss demanded.

"Quite a bit, actually," Hiccup answered. "We treat our dragons as friends and partners. Sometimes they have their own ideas, but the partnership works pretty well. But your dragon isn't a friend or a partner to you any more. It's more of a tool."

"Like any weapon, it can never be any better than the hand that wields it," Snart added.

"If the hand that wields it is skillful, is that a bad thing?" Tetnuss asked.

"You tell us, Tetnuss, because you're in the same position. Just like your dragon is a mindless tool in your hands, you've become a mindless tool in Kallous' hand." Snart stooped to Tetnuss' level. "You asked how I know about your dragon in town? It's because I was the dragon-protector of Hulm before you were. I've been in your shoes. I've seen how Kallous treats dragon riders. No respect, no privileges, no trust, not even any loot from raids..." He paused and watched Tetnuss' face; evidently his words were hitting home. "But he wants you around when he wants to start trouble, doesn't he? He uses you, just like you use your dragon." He stepped aside and let Astrid take over.

"Kallous made you feel good at first, didn't he? You weren't poor little Tetnuss with the bad leg anymore. You were somebody special. You didn't think that would ever happen to you. So you went along with whatever he said, because that's how you fit into the group. When he told you to flame other dragons, you went against everything you were ever taught, just to make him happy. When he told you to defend empty tracts of land, you did it. When he told you to burn the houses of total strangers, you did it. You sold yourself and your dragon to him. And what have you got to show for it?" Tetnuss was visibly slumping in his seat when Hiccup took over.

"Tetnuss, you're not an evil person. You've made some bad choices because you've gotten bad advice. But you can still make good choices. We brought you here, away from Kallous and his bullying and his threats, so you can do something you haven't done in a long time: think for yourself. Look at your life and where it's going. If you don't like it, look around you. Here in Berk, you'd be surrounded by people who understand dragons. You could make some friends, not the bossy manipulating kind, but real ones who know where you're at and who like you for who you are."

"And if I don't want to stay on Berk?"

"Once we're done talking," Hiccup said firmly, "we'll remove the ceiling chains and open the main door. If you want to go back to Hulm and your old life, no one will stop you."

"And if I want to be friends with my dragon again, and let him think for himself...?"

"Dragons are a strong-willed bunch," Snart said. "He'll start thinking for himself again as soon as you let him. That friendship you had with him at the beginning – you can have that back again."

"But it would never work as long as Kallous is calling all the shots for both of you," Astrid added. The other two nodded. Without another word, they removed the chains over the Academy and opened the door.

"You're your own man, if you want to be," Hiccup said as they left. "You can stay in here, or wander around Berk, or go flying, or leave and go home. You're not a prisoner. You have choices." He paused. "Could you say that about your life in Hulm?" They walked out silently.

Tetnuss sat silently for several minutes. Then he got up to leave. His dragon stayed where it was. "Rockmaw, would you come with me? Please?" he asked. The Gronckle got up and ambled behind him as he haltingly wandered the streets of Berk.

He watched four children and two young Nadders with belts around their necks playing tag in their front yard. He watched half-a-dozen wild dragons flap down from the upper pastures, gorge themselves on fish from what used to be night-vision torches, and fly back again. He watched Mallie teaching her huge red Nightmare simple commands like "stay" and "come;" they didn't recognize each other. He watched two Nadder riders fly in from the sea and make a crisp report to Astrid about the fishing fleet. He watched Stoick ask Hiccup for advice about a troublesome dragon, and agree to do what Hiccup suggested.

He found a secluded spot behind a food storage building, sat down, and wept silently. When he felt his dragon nudge him and heard his concerned rumble, he threw both arms around the huge neck and hugged him.


	33. Chapter 33

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 33

It was another day before Mallie's dragon allowed her to ride it. Astrid flew alongside her for the first half-hour to shout flying commands and give Mallie confidence. When it looked like the new rider had a good handle on things, she landed and watched from the ground. The Nightmare's red-and-black markings looked spectacular against the blue sky.

Hiccup laid a hand on her shoulder. "She's looking good, Astrid. You trained her well."

"I barely did anything! She just figured it out for herself, kind of like you and Toothless. All I did was pass her the fish."

"Still, you get the credit for teaching a dragon trainer," he smiled. She nodded, then realized the implications, and broke out in a matching smile.

Mallie finally landed, totally exhilarated, like all first-time riders. "Did you see me up there?" she laughed. "Me, flying!" She hugged herself.

"You're kind of hard to miss, on a big red dragon," Astrid answered with a return smile. "You're now officially a dragon rider, and you've won your Dragon Friend badge. Welcome to the most awesome tribe-within-a-tribe in the world!"

That brought Mallie up short. "How much do I owe Berk for all this? I want to stay loyal to Norpi."

"I didn't mean that tribe-within-a-tribe thing literally," Astrid backtracked. "We've trained riders for several different towns, and while they choose to stay in touch with us, they owe us nothing. You keep your loyalty where it belongs."

"Do those towns include Hulm?" Mallie asked with some hardness in her voice.

"Actually, while you were getting to know your dragon, we think we may have solved that problem," Astrid said, the smile returning to her face. "We know it'll take time for your town to forgive, and you still can't trust Kallous, but it looks like all the dragons are back on the same team again."

"That's nice if it's true," Mallie replied, "but I'll put my hope in my big red friend here until I see proof."

"That's probably wise. Do you think you're ready to take her home so we can bring Wartfoot in?"

"Take her home — just like that? We only just flew together!"

"You know what you need to know," Hiccup cut in. "You can feed her, you've taught her some commands, and you know how to fly. The rest is mostly details — learning stuff from the Book of Dragons, adding more commands, getting more practice. You can fly back here once a week or so, or we can come to you if Norpi is a dragon-friendly place to visit. But you're ready to go. After lunch, of course. Snart will go with you so he can bring Wartfoot back to Berk."

After Skybaby and the red Nightmare had departed, Tetnuss timidly approached Hiccup. "I need to go back to Hulm," he said. "But just to get a couple of things that are mine. I'll be back, I promise."

"You don't owe us anything, Tetnuss," Hiccup answered.

"I owe you, and your other riders, and this entire town, an apology," Tetnuss came back. "Along with the town of Norpi, and the town of Machen, and Hildi, and..." He shook his head. "How can I make friends in places where I have so many enemies?"

"We forgave the dragons, after all those raids; we can forgive you," Hiccup replied. "Life is too short to hold grudges, and most of us understand that. We won't identify you as the rider from Hulm right away; we'll give people a chance to get to know you first. It's going to work out fine, Tetnuss. Just give yourself a chance."

"Thanks, Hiccup. You've already given me more than I deserved." He climbed onto Rockmaw. "Take us home, big guy." The dragon looked puzzled; Tetnuss patted him. "You know the way. Let's go home, one more time." The Gronckle rose straight up into the air, pivoted slowly as though getting his bearings, and flew off into the distance.

"Do you think we've seen the last of him?" Astrid asked Hiccup. "If Kallous gets a hold of him, he might wind up right back where he started."

"He has options now," Hiccup answered. "Sometimes, all it takes to get off the wrong road is to know there's another way."

Snart and Mallie's flight was uneventful. He used the time to start teaching her the standard flight commands, as he had done with Hildi so long ago. It was a little harder because the Nightmare wasn't as nimble in the air as a Nadder, but the big dragon was willing to learn. When they reached Norpi, Snart let her land first and draw all the attention.

"Maldemer!" "Welcome back!" "Look at the _size_ of that thing!" Snart's arrival was almost unnoticed. He saw that much of the fire damage had been repaired in the three days since he'd first come to town. Chief Hogbolt strode over to them; his stride slowed down as he got closer and realized how big Mallie's dragon was.

"Berk keeps promises. I'll have to remember that," he began. "Maldemer, welcome back. People of Norpi, remember this day. We will never be victims of Hulm again!" Cheers and applause met his announcement. "Rider of Berk, are you still willing to train our other rider?"

"Yes, of course. As soon as Wartfoot is ready, I can fly him back to Berk and begin his training."

"I'll be ready as soon as I have a quick chat with Mallie," the young man called. Their quick chat ran on for about eight minutes, with much laughing and several hugs, while the rest of the town waited for their chance to wish him well. Finally, someone tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. He looked embarrassed, gave Mallie one last hug, and stepped lightly over to Skybaby.

"Good luck, Wartfoot!" "Make us proud!" "Pick a good one!" Snart was somewhat surprised. From a town that hated dragons and their riders, Norpi had transformed into a very dragon-friendly place. He gave the command, and Skybaby bounded into the air and found a comfortable cruising height.

He turned and spoke over his shoulder to Wartfoot. "By any chance, are you related to the chief?"

"I'm his nephew," Wartfoot answered. "I don't want any special favors, though."

"Which would make you Logbolt's son?"

"Yes. Didn't he mention that?"

"No," Snart shook his head. "He must have missed that part. Is that going to cause you any trouble, seeing how the chief's son didn't qualify and you did?"

"It shouldn't," Wartfoot replied. "We do things by the rule of 'may the best Viking win.' Being related to somebody gives you an advantage, but it doesn't guarantee anything."

"So you, who's going to be a dragon rider, you could wind up becoming chief some day?"

"It could happen," Wartfoot nodded. "But that's a long way out. For now, I want to find my dragon, and I want to win Mallie's hand. Not necessarily in that order!" Snart chuckled. The rest of the flight was uneventful. When they landed, they checked in with Hiccup, then grabbed a Dragonbag and headed for the pastures. Wartfoot didn't want to waste any time.

"You do realize, it could take days before you meet the dragon who wants to meet _you,_" Snart cautioned him.

"The more time I spend looking for him, the better my chances of finding him," was Wartfoot's reply. They tramped all over the pastures. Wartfoot was drawn to an unusual slate-gray Nadder, but that dragon had no use for him. It accepted a fish from his hand, then lay down and went to sleep.

"We'll try again tomorrow." Snart tried to comfort the downcast young man. "Dragons are always coming and going. Give it a little time."

Wartfoot was eager to learn anything he could about dragons. He was especially curious about the Book of Dragons, which made him Fishlegs' friend. They talked well into the night. Hiccup also stayed up late; his intent was to welcome Tetnuss back. But Tetnuss didn't come.

The next day, Wartfoot was up with the sun. He got very impatient when told he'd have to wait until after the Academy had its morning meeting. He sat in the back row, trying not to get too restless.

When they were done, Hiccup introduced Wartfoot to Astrid, Lout, and the twins, who hadn't had the chance to meet him yet. Astrid tried to ask him about Mallie.

"Astrid, maybe that can wait for lunch time?" Snart suggested. "This guy is almost frantic to go find his dragon." Wartfoot nodded enthusiastically, and they quickly left.

"Why do girls _talk_ so much?" he asked exasperatedly.

"That's how they relate to life," Snart replied. "If you're going to get married, you better brace yourself for a lot more talking than you've ever done before. The good news is, dragons don't talk much."

"About that," Wartfoot said. "Mallie's got herself a huge, powerful dragon. I don't see any of those here, so my dragon will probably be smaller than hers. Does that mean she's going to boss me around or something?"

Snart laughed. "Only if you let her. Dragons can bring out the best or the worst in a person, but they don't change who you are. You're going to work out your relationship based on who you are and who she is, not on what you ride."

"You're a good one for marriage advice, Snart. How come you don't have a girlfriend or something?"

"Those who can, do. Those who cannot, teach. I teach." Snart shrugged. "I've got friends, and an awesome dragon, and that's enough for now. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. None of us knows the future."

They had reached the pastures. As Snart had said, the dragon population looked different from the way it looked yesterday. Wartfoot's eye was drawn back to that gray Nadder. "Can I try again with him?"

"You can always try again, but the dragon makes the final decision," Snart answered. "Walk up to him, don't look threatening, say nice things, and offer him a fish." Wartfoot did all those things. The dragon spread its wings and hissed at him.

"Whoa!" shouted Wartfoot, spreading his empty hands. "What did I do to deserve that? I just think you're an awesome-looking dragon and I want to be friends, that's all." He stared at the Nadder, which stared back, unmoving except for a slow waving of its tail.

"Remember what I said about approaching a Nadder?" Snart asked softly. "Try it. Nice and slow." Wartfoot took one sideways step, then another, working his way around to the tail. At the first step, the gray dragon turned with him, but then it stopped and raised its tail, spines up. Wartfoot froze.

"Nice and slow," Snart said easily. "You're not a threat; make sure he sees that. Look him in the eye, keep your hands where he can see them. Take another step." Slowly, he coaxed the young man up to the dragon's tail. "Stroke it gently. It seems crazy, but that's the way it's done." Wartfoot complied — and the dragon turned and pulled its tail away. Wartfoot's face fell.

"He's not running away, and he's not growling. He's testing you. Try it again." He tried it again, and this time, the Nadder let him touch it. But the spines did not retract.

"You're almost there, Wartfoot. Tell him what you think of him. Keep stroking that tail."

"I feel stupid, talking to a dragon that can't understand what I'm saying."

"You _aren't_ stupid, and neither is the dragon. He understands a lot more than you think."

"Okay, dragon, you're a tough one. But I won over Mallie and her parents, so I think I can win you over, too. Snart says gray dragons are very rare, and that makes you special. I like that. Being a dragon rider is going to be great, but riding a special dragon? That's what I want. I want _you,_ dragon. I knew you were the one for me as soon as I laid eyes on you. So relax and be my friend already, will you?"

"Wartfoot, I wouldn't have chosen that kind of approach, but you're telling him what he wants to hear. In case you didn't notice, his tail spines just went completely flat. It's time to offer him a fish and see if he shares it with you. Here, take this one." The dragon took the fish eagerly, stared at Wartfoot for what seemed like forever, then coughed up half of it.

"You know what to do, Wartfoot." He did. The dragon lowered its head with a rumble. Wartfoot totally forgot that Snart existed; he was utterly fixated on the dragon, stroking it, talking to it.

Finally, he turned to Snart. "Does every dragon give his rider a hard time like that?"

"No, not usually. That one really made you work. You may have to keep a gentle but firm hand on him; he's got a will of his own."

"That's fine with me," Wartfoot nodded. "I don't like doormats in friends, or in future wives, so I probably wouldn't want a dragon that's a doormat, either." He turned back to his dragon. "I'm going to call you Sterk."

" 'Strong.' Good name," nodded Snart. "He's a big fellow, too. He can probably lift you and a passenger or two with no problems. You two, take your time and get acquainted. I'll be in the Academy if you need anything." Wartfoot was already oblivious to him as he left.

"You did it again, eh, Snart?" Hiccup grinned. "You and those Nadders; you've got the touch."

"It's just because we have so many Nadders," Snart protested.

"Maybe we ought to make a Super Dragon Master pin, just for him," scoffed Snotlout. Hiccup looked at him appraisingly. "No, forget it, I'm sorry I said it already."

"Hiccup, don't even dream of it," Snart protested. "I don't ever want to outrank you. This Academy isn't a Zippleback; it shouldn't have two heads."

"That's not what I was thinking," Hiccup answered. He was about to go on when their dragons began stirring. "I think they hear another dragon coming." They all looked outside, and spotted a plump Gronckle approaching from the southeast. It was Tetnuss.

"You probably thought I changed my mind," he began as he dismounted. "But there was... something I had to do. That's done, and I'm here now. Uhhh... what do I do now?"

"I'll introduce you to Stoick — by name, not by the town you're from — and we'll find a place for you in the village," Snart answered. "You're a shoemaker by trade, right?"

"Shoes and boots. I was apprenticed to a cobbler before I found my dragon."

"We can use a good bootmaker," Snart took over. "Our leather worker is more interested in fancy work than in strong construction. And I've got a personal request. Would you consider working with me and learning to be a dragon doctor?"

"A... why me?"

"I'm the only one so far who's willing to try setting broken bones and stitching up wounds," Snart explained. "I know you don't know anything about it, but neither does anyone else. You're already familiar with needles and thread, and stitching tough material. I'd like to have an assistant, or if you're good, maybe I'll be your assistant."

Tetnuss' mouth fell open and stayed that way. Finally, he stammered, "Is this... the way you always treat your enemies?"

"No," smiled Hiccup. "This is how we treat friends."

As they walked up to the village, they met Wartfoot coming down, a huge grin on his face. "Snart, you would not believe..." Then he recognized Tetnuss. His face clouded over, and he clenched both fists. Snart quickly stepped between them.

"Don't you know who this is, Snart?"

"Yes, this is a young man who has done some bad stuff, and is very sorry about it."

"SORRY?" Wartfoot exploded. "He's _sorry?_ Is that going to rebuild our village? Heal our wounded? Restore our belongings? Our children cry themselves to sleep every night, in fear of another raid. Our crops are being neglected because half our workers are worn out from standing guard all night. We cringe every time a bird's shadow crosses us, for fear it's that _forbannet_ dragon of yours. And you're _sorry!_ Is that supposed to be good enough?"

"No," Tetnuss said decisively, hobbling around Snart to face Wartfoot squarely. "I can't undo any of the things I've done. You can beat me senseless right here, or even kill me, and it won't change the past. If there's some restitution I can make, I will. But right now, I think the best restitution I can make for you is to stay right here."

"I'll give you a count of five to explain that," Wartfoot growled.

"When you get home, Norpi will have two dragons. With me here, Hulm has none."

Wartfoot considered this, and his fists slowly unclenched. The fire in his eye remained, though. "Yes. That will change things. But you still owe us for the raiding you did personally."

"When you get home, you'll find that I've already done something about that," Tetnuss replied. "If you think I still owe you... you know where I live now."

"What's he talking about, Snart?" Snart could only shrug. "No matter. Once I'm home, we're going to pay Hulm back in full for what they've done to our town."

"And then _they'll_ find a way to pay _you_ back!" Snart cut in. "When does it end, Wartfoot? They raid you, so you raid them, so they raid you, and it never stops. There is never a winner, just an endless stream of losers. Victims, on both sides, of your boar-headed Viking pride!"

"Snart, we Vikings do things a certain way," Wartfoot lectured him. "Even if we never raided them again, and even if they didn't raid us, there's one debt that's unsettled. A little over a year ago, Kallous killed our chief, Lardgaz, on a raid. Lardgaz wasn't the greatest chief, but he was fair and he protected the village. Hulm owes us one chief."

"And then they'll say you owe them a chief. Wartfoot, someone, somewhere, has to be strong enough to put down his axe and say, 'Enough!' Otherwise, go add your uncle's name to your list of honored dead right now — it's just a matter of time until _he_ becomes the chief that _Hulm_ wants dead."

Wartfoot stared at him. "Strong enough to stop fighting? That's a contradiction... isn't it?" He pondered the thought, then shook his head. "Even if I was the chief, I'd never be able to talk the village into it. The people will demand payback, or they'd choose another chief. It's a noble thought, Snart, but it can't be done." He walked off downhill.

"You tried," Tetnuss offered.

"Trying is good. Succeeding is better," Snart sighed.


	34. Chapter 34

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 34

Wartfoot's dragon was a stubborn one, all right. He let Wartfoot ride him on the third day, but only on the ground. It wasn't until a day later that they leaped off the cliffs into the air. And once airborne, they wouldn't come down again!

"That was easily the longest first-flight I've ever seen," Snart told him when he finally landed; Hiccup nodded. "We thought you weren't coming down for lunch."

"Missing lunch would be worth it!" Wartfoot exclaimed. "I thought riding on _your_ dragon was wild, but to be in control? And Sterk is a much more powerful flier than your dragon, Snart. I feel like there's _nothing_ we can't do together!"

"That's the effect a good dragon has on a good man," Hiccup commented. "But we're a day over the three-day limit we agreed on with your chief, so if you feel comfortable, we probably should get you home this afternoon."

"Yes, I should get home, you're right. What if Hulm raids us tonight? Or what if they already raided us while I was away? Mallie's all by herself —"

"Except for a very big dragon," Astrid interrupted. "Don't forget that part." That part made Wartfoot smile. Still, he was clearly in a hurry to get home, so after a quick meal, he and Snart took off.

As he often did, Snart used the flight to start teaching the new dragon and rider some basic flight commands. Sterk seemed to understand them, but wasn't so willing to obey. "Why is he giving me a hard time?" Wartfoot called.

"He's spent his whole life doing things his way," Snart answered. "As the two of you get more used to each other, you'll see an improvement."

"Because he's more used to obeying me?"

"That, and because _you're_ more used to _his_ way of thinking. It works both ways. If you were expecting something like a pony with wings, you're going to be disappointed."

"Disappointed? I'm riding a _dragon!_ This is the most incredible thing that's ever happened to me!"

"Don't tell Mallie that!" Snart called with a sly grin.

When they landed, they were quickly surrounded by the entire village; everyone was talking at once. Finally, Chief Hogbolt roared for order, and the hubbub subsided. Mallie was the first to run up and greet him, quite warmly.

"Welcome back, son," Logbolt grinned. "That's quite an animal you're riding. But you missed all the excitement. I'll let the chief tell the story."

"The night you left," Hogbolt began, "that dragon from Hulm showed up. But he didn't attack us! The rider just shouted and warned us that a raid from Hulm was about half an hour away, and he wasn't going to be part of it, or any more raids ever again. Then he flew away.

"A lot of us thought it was a trick of some kind, but we'd be fools not to get ready, just in case. And it happened just the way the dragon rider said. But this time, we were ready for them."

"I'd never flown Rødskjønnhet at night, so I didn't want to try it in the middle of a raid," Mallie interjected. "So we set up next to the path, and as soon as the raiders got here and saw we were expecting them, I had Rødskjønnhet lay fire across their escape route."

"That took all the fight out of them," grinned the chief. "There were only three kinds of Hulms that night — the ones who surrendered and went home without their weapons, the ones who jumped through the fire and went home like flaming torches, and the ones who won't be going home. We've all seen what a dragon can do on a raid; it was amazing to see a dragon do it for us."

"Rødskjønnhet," mused Wartfoot. "Red Beauty. That's not bad."

"And guess who one of those who won't be going home was?" asked Hogbolt with a vicious smile.

"You got Kallous?" Wartfoot sounded amazed.

"He tried to run through the fire. It didn't end well for him. We did him a favor by finishing him off. Now we've got two dragons, Hulm has no chief, and maybe they don't have a dragon, either. Are you up for a little raiding tonight, Wartfoot?"

There was silence in the village for what seemed like a long time. Finally, Wartfoot spoke. "No."

"We've evened the score by killing Kallous, so we've gotten our payback. With two dragons, Hulm will never bother us again. I say we've seen too many of us dead and wounded, too many houses burned, too much useless plunder traded back and forth depending on who won the last raid. We're stronger than they are, so we have nothing to fear from them any more. I say, _enough!_"

The silence that fell on the village now was shocked. A low murmur rose as each person asked his neighbor what he thought of such an astonishing idea. Their opinions seemed equally divided.

Hogbolt sensed that he didn't have a clear majority on his side. "We will hold a town council tonight," he announced, "and we will discuss this. In the meantime, it's good to have you back, Wartfoot. Berk rider, we all thank you for what you've done for our town. We don't have short memories of our enemies, and we do not quickly forget our friends, either."

"Thank you, Chief Hogbolt," Snart answered. "We'll get together with your riders each week to check on their training. If you have no objection, it will be better to train them here, so they learn to find their local landmarks from the air."

"I have no objection."

"In that case, I should be on my way home, then," Snart said.

"Wait!" cried Wartfoot. "There's one more thing, and I want you to see this, Snart, because you helped make it happen." He turned. "Mallie, you and your dragon helped break up a raid on our village. If that isn't doing something special with your life, I don't know what is.

"Will you marry me?" Everyone knew what her answer would be. Again, no one had any objections.


	35. Chapter 35

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 35

"Hiccup, that's the fourth day in a row the fishing boats have come back almost empty." Stoick shrugged helplessly. "No one knows where all the fish have gone, but... they're gone. I told you yesterday what that means."

"Yes, Dad. We'll need all the fish for the village, with nothing left over for dragons."

"I know how you feel about them, and the Academy, and everything," Stoick said softly. "But we have to put people first; you know that, don't you?"

"Yes. I know that." Hiccup turned and slowly walked up the ramps from the docks to the town's main level.

The Academy was shocked at the news. "But if there's no food, the dragons will leave!" Astrid exclaimed. "We won't be able to train new riders. Even our own dragons might not stay."

"Except for the cripples and the crybabies," Lout chimed in.

"We can't argue with Stoick's thinking," Snart cut in. "One dragon eats more fish in a day than a family of eight."

"Or a family of one, if it's Fishlegs," Lout added.

"We've gone too far with this Academy to just quit!" Fishlegs exclaimed forcefully. "We owe it to our dragons to _do_ something!"

"Like what?" Tuffnut asked. "Put the village on a diet?"

"It's like this," Snart continued. "We need fish, both for us and for our dragons. We used to have plenty of fish; now we don't."

"Yeah, and two plus two is twenty-two, we know all that stuff," Ruffnut interrupted. "Get on with it!"

"So there are two things we can do," Snart went on. "Either we find out where all our fish went, or we find some other place to get fish from. Dragons can help with both of those." He outlined his ideas. Hiccup agreed to take on the first part of his plan, which involved making an offer to the fishermen.

The fishing-boat captains were skeptical. "We're supposed to let a _dragon_ tell us where to fish?"

"Fish can't just disappear," Hiccup explained to them. "They _have_ to be out there somewhere. A person riding a dragon can look straight down into the water, and see a school of fish where someone on a boat might not see them. The dragon rider won't give you orders; they'll just tell you what they see."

"Nobody ever told me where to fish before," another captain grumbled. "We've been fishing this way for seven generations! Can you give me one really good reason why we should change everything?"

"How about, 'the way you're doing it isn't working'? What's more important: to stick with tradition, or to catch fish?" Stony silence was all the answer he got. "Fine. If any of you changes his mind, I'll put a dragon at his boat's disposal. The ones who ask first get the Sea Dragons; they'll be much better at navigation and seafaring. For the rest of you, I wish you luck." _Because luck is all you've got_, he added mentally. Hiccup turned and left the Mead Hall, leaving the fishing captains to their meeting.

"Any luck?" asked Snart when Hiccup returned to the Academy.

"Not even a nibble," he answered sadly. "Those sailors have to be the most hidebound, stubborn, narrow-minded —"

"They're Vikings. It's a prerequisite for the job," Snart replied. "If we could get just one to change his mind, the others would see the results, and they'd be beating down the door with demands for dragons."

"Can our dragons wait that long?" Astrid wondered. "Maybe we ought to send out the Sea Dragons anyway, just to see how good they are at finding fish. If nothing else, we'll have some solid facts to work with, not guesswork. What do you think, Hiccup?"

"Astrid, pick a couple of your best and send them out to look for schools of fish. Don't leave us short-handed if a storm blows up."

"I'm on it," she answered, and left quickly.

"Snart, I guess it's time for you to try out your Plan B," Hiccup continued. "Do you want anyone to go with you?"

"Maybe I'll take Fishlegs," Snart mused. "He's never been to Machen before, and the more of us who know the way, the better. What do you think, Fishlegs?"

"Oooh, I'd love to! Meatlug seriously needs some exercise."

"It wouldn't do you any harm either," Snotlout commented. _That did it_. Snart made a hand signal to his dragon, and a green Nadder tail shot up, spines erect, aimed at Snotlout. Lout suddenly went quite pale.

"One more comment like that," Snart said mildly, "and everyone will have to call you Spike. Do you mind that?"

"Uhhh... n- n- no offense," Lout stammered.

"Good," nodded Snart. "We'll be gone all day tomorrow, so you can get any other non-offensive comments out of your system. If you have anything _really_ offensive to say, save it for when we get back, so I can _enjoy_ it when my dragon nails you to the wall. Fishlegs, this will be a day trip; we'll leave at sunrise."

As he got organized that evening, Snart found himself looking forward to the trip a lot more than he thought he would. In particular, he liked the idea of seeing Hildi again.

The Nadder and Gronckle left Berk shortly after sun-up. The harbor was empty; most of the fishing boats were already at sea. They flew north along the rugged coastline.

"Fishlegs, as we fly, keep your eyes open for signs of fish," Snart called.

"I thought the Sea Dragons were doing that," Fishlegs answered.

"They are, but it won't do any harm to help them out a little. We don't know where the fish have gone, and if they're all two days' sailing north of here, our riders will never find them. But we might." They mostly flew in silence; they saw no signs of fish.

When they approached Machen's harbor, they saw many fishing boats there. They circled until Hildi flew up to join them.

"Did I miss a message? I didn't know you were coming," she called.

"No message. We need to talk to your town leaders."

"Follow me in," she nodded, and brought them back to the clearing where Snart and Hiccup had landed last time.

"We're concerned on Berk because the fish have disappeared. All our boats are coming back empty or near-empty. Has that happened here?"

"No, not at all," Hildi answered. "We've got all the fish we can handle, and more. Were you thinking of bringing your dragons up here to feed?"

"No, that's not our plan. For one thing, it's not fair to make your fishermen feed our dragons. For another, we may not have enough for our people, either, and we can't bring the whole village up here. I had another idea, which I'd like to discuss with your chief."

"You mean my stepfather, right? He's going to be busy all day. Once he's seen the fleet home tomorrow morning, he should have some time for you."

"Hmmm," Snart thought out loud. "We were planning to go home tonight. I guess the first question is, is there a place we could spend the night?"

"You might have to spread a blanket in a warehouse, but we can provide the blankets," Hildi answered. "We have no guest house, because we're so remote; travelers rarely stop here. We can certainly offer you food in the Mead Hall... Is your dragon still afraid of being apart from you?"

"Skybaby can live without me for a while, and Meatlug doesn't have any issues."

"Good. Lunch will be served in about an hour. You have the freedom of the town until then. And... it's good to see you again."

As they walked around, Snart noticed Fishlegs scanning his surroundings for something. "Looking for runes that might tell you more about ancient dragons?" he asked.

"No, I'm looking for signs of Terrible Terrors," Fishlegs answered. "We need to send a message to Hiccup, to tell him we won't be home tonight. Oooh, look at the raised foundations of that storehouse! Terrors _love_ resting in places like those." He bent and looked under the building. "Look at 'em all! Come here, cute little dragon! I just want to — OW! He bit me! Thank you for _nothing_, you useless reptile!" He tried another one, with better results, and the messenger was soon winging south to find Hiccup.

Snart was expecting another chilly welcome in the Mead Hall, but the people there were friendly enough. They became even warmer when he related the news of Tetnuss' defection and Kallous' end, which probably meant no more raids from Hulm. But as they left the hall, Hildi hit him in the arm, very hard. He cried out in spite of himself.

"I'll just go look at these fascinating firewood storage sheds," Fishlegs mumbled, and excused himself.

"I told you once, I _hate_ it when people keep secrets from me!" Hildi exploded when he was out of sight. "When were you planning to tell me that Tetnuss, who was _my_ student, had turned around and gotten right?"

"Honestly, there's been so much going on, it slipped my mind," Snart tried to explain.

"Am I _that_ easy to forget about?"

"Not even close, Hildi! But I have a ton of stuff going through my head all the time. If I told you half the things that have gone on since I first trained you, I doubt you'd believe it."

"Try me," she ordered.

So they walked back to the dragon clearing, where Skybaby was very happy to see him again. They sat in the grass, reclining against their dragons, and Snart talked. He told her about killing the second Red Death, and his poetic retelling of it. He told her about leaving Hulm and being added to the Academy. He told her about operating on the Gronckle. He told her about finding Skybaby, and the sea rescue the following day. He told her about the Berserker raid, and Dagur's death. He told her about the egg-hatching island — she had plenty of questions about that. He told her about Boartooth and the ring around the dragon's neck. He told her about the renegade Skrill. He told her about the Norpi riders. He filled in more details about Tetnuss.

Finally, he paused. She nodded. "I _have_ missed a lot, haven't I? I really had no idea you were that busy. And always with great things, too."

"Ha! Hildi, well over half my time is taken up with very minor things. Who owns this dragon, who's going to clean up after that dragon, one petty thing after another."

She laid one hand on his. "I'm sorry I hit you... that hard. But I still think you should have told me about Tetnuss first."

"You're right, I should have. Like I said, it slipped my mind until the people in the Hall asked me for a tale. So I told them one they could relate to." He looked down at her hand, which was still on his, then back up at her. "Something else you told me once is that you're stronger than you look, and you have a temper. One thing you're not, is a liar." He smiled.

She looked down. "You know my real name is Brunnhilde, right?"

"I kind of figured. It's a good name for a warrior princess, but for a pretty lady... not so much. I'll stick with Hildi."

She suddenly blushed and pulled away. "We ought to find Fishlegs. It's not right to leave him all by himself in a strange village." She rose and ran back toward the village. He followed, more slowly.

Finding Fishlegs wasn't hard. He was with the village storyteller, plying her with questions about anything she'd ever heard about dragons.

They all returned to the Mead Hall for supper. There were many who had eaten lunch in the fields or elsewhere in the village, so Snart got to tell the stories of Tetnuss all over again. They loved the part where he brought the Gronckle down into the sea. When he told about Tetnuss' change of heart, there was much disbelief.

"Why do you believe it when I say I brought down a dragon with a handful of grass, but you don't believe it when I say a man who was good once, then went bad, has gone back to good? Is the second one that much harder to believe than the first one?"

"We'll believe it," said a young fisherman, "when he stands here and apologizes for what he tried to do here." Many agreed with him.

"Then I'll try to arrange that," Snart stated.

As the meal wound down, Germburg came over to Snart's table. "I understand you want to talk to me? I'm sorry I couldn't see you today; I was busy judging property lines and ending a family feud. Can you wait until tomorrow morning? Good. I'm sure Hildi is taking good care of you."

_Better care than you realize,_ Snart thought warmly.

He and Fishlegs spent the night in a building that smelled of beef jerky, with their dragons just outside. After breakfast the next morning, Snart met with Germburg and Rainbit, who was serving as his... _(what do you call a right-hand man when she's a woman?)_ He explained Berk's problem, and his proposed solution. They had spent half an hour discussing possibilities when they learned he was dealing on his own, without Stoick's approval.

"What if he doesn't go along with this?" Germburg demanded. "Have you just wasted our time here?"

"I can't imagine him not going along with it," Snart answered. "We may have to adjust some of the details, but the main agreement is exactly what we need, and he'll know it when he hears about it."

"I hope so, dragon-man," Rainbit replied.

"Will you ever call me by my name? It's Snart."

"I know, but it's hard to forget a day when you held the entire town for ransom."

"_Frue_, if there was one day I could erase out of my life, it would be that one," Snart said. "Except for the part about me agreeing to train Hildi; that was good. I guess forgiveness is something that Berks have an easier time with than other people."

"When the raider has threatened the people you love, you'll understand us a little better," Germburg replied, not unkindly. "Please let us know as soon as possible if Berk wants to make this deal of yours."

"I will, sir, _Frue_. Thank you for your time. We should get home quickly now. I need to present this to my chief."

Hildi met them at the clearing. "Thank you for coming," she said, a little shyly.

"If my plan gets accepted, there's going to be regular contact between Berk and Machen," Snart said softly. "I could be up here a lot."

"I'd like that," she whispered, touched his hand lightly, and returned to town.

"What was that about?" Fishlegs asked as they winged home.

"Absolutely nothing!" Snart said firmly. "Please keep it that way."

"I know nothing, _nuh_-thing!" Fishlegs promised.


	36. Chapter 36

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 36

When Snart and Hiccup asked Stoick and Spitelout to join the next Academy meeting, they knew it was something important.

"We'll skip over the usual dragon stuff until later," Hiccup began. "Snart has been working on the fish problem, and he has an idea for us."

"Three days ago, Fishlegs and I flew up to Machen. While we —"

"It's a _four_-day trip to Machen and back!" Spitelout interrupted.

"Four days by sea, Spitelout. Dragons are changing our world, and not just by being our friends. We can fly off to any village we've ever heard of, and get there by lunch time. Anyway, while we were there, we sat down with their Chief, Germburg, and —"

"Who's this Germburg?" Stoick demanded. "I never heard of him."

"Machen's old chief was killed in a raid on Hulm last spring, along with all the men from the village," Snart explained. "Germburg was the leader of a nomadic band of survivors from Sag. He and his men joined themselves to Machen in place of the men who died in that raid. By strength of will, and by marrying their headwoman, Rainbit, he became the new chief. He's a hard man, but a fair one."

"How do you know all this?" Spitelout asked.

"Well... I kind of had a hand in it," Snart confessed.

"I see the Academy has been doing a lot more than just training dragons," Stoick mused, stroking his beard. "You will tell me all about this, later. Please go on."

"Here's the situation, put simply. Our fish have disappeared, so we need fish; Machen has plenty of fish. Machen still has hostile neighbors, so they need weapons; we have plenty of weapons. I suggest we send ships to trade with Machen."

Spitelout looked thoughtful. "That's a long way to go for a raid, and they've never bothered... wait, did you say 'trade'?"

"Yes, trade. Weapons for baskets of fish."

"Vikings don't trade! We _take_ what we need." Spitelout burst out.

"Spitelout, one of this Academy's unofficial mottoes is that there's more than one way to be a Viking."

"How many weapons did you commit us to give them, Snart?" Stoick wanted to know.

"I haven't clasped hands on anything, sir. That would be your decision to make, not mine. All I've done is worked out what kind of a deal we _could_ make. Whether we make the deal or not, and what the terms are, is for the chiefs to decide."

"Yes, it is," nodded Stoick. Astrid heard a small commotion outside the Academy and left to check on it.

"If they've got all the fish they need, why can't we just send our boats to fish in their waters?" Spitelout asked.

"I thought of that. Germburg said his village gets nothing out of that. And they need to be sure they have enough for themselves before they start trading away their extras."

"That's what I would have said, if I were in his boots," Stoick nodded again. "If we make this deal, when do we start?"

"As soon as you want to," Snart replied. "We can fly up there and tell them our ships are coming. When our fleet arrives, they'll have the fish baskets counted and ready, waiting to work out the terms with us."

"I suppose the real question is, will this deal be enough to feed us all?" Spitelout asked.

"I did some math," Fishlegs cut in, "and with one trade a week, I think the people will be okay through the winter. For the dragons... less okay."

"It will be plenty," Astrid announced as she burst back in. "I've got great news! We've found where the fish have gone."

"_Where?_" asked everyone at once.

"One of my Sea Dragons saw a school, running a lot deeper than they used to. He called it out to the nearest boat, the _Hurricane Lamprey_; that one has one of the younger captains. They did a quick job of doubling the depth of their net gear, and they're coming in half-full, which is a lot better than empty. If all the boats can do that, then between them and the Machen deal, we'll have enough fish to feed everyone and everything."

"So they're running deeper," Stoick mused. "I think I heard of that happening a long time ago. We probably can't reach them all if they're too deep, but anything is better than nothing." He reached a decision. "Astrid, tell your rider he's done well. Hiccup, Snart, tell Machen we'll have a trading fleet there in two days. You have also done well. Now I have to greet that fishing boat!" He and Spitelout left at a run.

"It looks like they're going along with it," Hiccup said to Snart. "Luckily for you. You took quite a risk, negotiating for the town without any authority."

"Somebody had to do something. I'm somebody," Snart replied.

"Fair enough. As soon as our trading fleet sets sail, you can fly ahead and tell Machen we're coming. I'm sure Stoick will go with them to do the negotiating, but you should stay there to do the introductions and make sure there aren't any surprises."

After the meeting was over, Hiccup motioned for Snart to stay behind. "You've saved the whole Academy this time, and maybe the whole village. I wish there was some way we could say 'thank you'."

"Actually, I'm working on something that might push your gratitude to the limit," Snart said quietly. "I've got some more facts to nail down first. When I have something solid, you'll be the first to know."

"You and your projects! I ought to be nervous, except you usually end up being right. If I know my dad, he'll have those trading ships ready to go very early tomorrow morning, so be ready to fly north."

"I'll do that, but you'll have to send somebody else to Norpi to check up on Wartfoot and Mallie this afternoon."

"I'll send Astrid," Hiccup decided. "That will be part of her training for her Master badge, whenever that happens."

"What are you waiting for, Hiccup? She knows at least as much as I did when you made me a Master."

"It's like you said, Snart. Being a Dragon Master should be something special. We've got two; if we add another one, that's almost half the Academy, and that won't be very special... wait a minute, I _know_ that look in your eye! Don't tell me you've got an answer for that one, too?"

"I'm working on one of those everybody-happy solutions you've taught me about. Give me a little time."

As predicted, four ships left Berk harbor early the next morning, bound for Machen. The rest of the fleet stayed home to modify their nets; even the most stubborn, tradition-bound captain couldn't argue with the baskets-full of fish that came off the _Hurricane Lamprey_ when everyone else came home empty.

Stoick and Gobber rode in the lead trading ship. Gobber was wearing his paddle arm instead of a weapon or a smith's tool. Stoick was enjoying a few days' freedom from a chief's responsibilities. "The last time we sailed together, Gobber, we were loaded down with weapons to take the dragons' nest."

"And now we're loaded down with weapons to trade for fish," Gobber nodded. "Times are changing all around us! And I hate to say it, but it's those dragon riders who are pushing us, kicking and screaming, into a new day."

"That's the truth, Gobber. I became chief because of how well I fought dragons. Our next chief will probably be the best dragon rider." They saw Snart fly overhead on his Nadder, brilliant green and easy to see even on a cloudy day like this one. The wind was picking up.

Snart reached Machen, and found their fishing fleet coming in after a busy night's work. They were full to the gunwales with fish; evidently they wanted to have plenty on hand to trade. He landed in the clearing next to Wizard, and walked to the waterfront.

Hildi was helping tie up the boats as they reached the docks. She had an oar in one hand to fend them off if a wave threatened to smash them against the dock. She straightened as she saw Snart approach. He stared for a moment, then began to laugh.

"Is this funny?" she demanded.

"The first time I ever saw you, you were in that exact same pose, except you held a spear instead of an oar," he explained. She smiled. "Hildi, I need to let Germburg know we've sent some ships up from Berk. When you're done here, I'd like to talk some dragon talk with you." She nodded; he left to find Machen's chief.

Once all their business was done, they met in the clearing and slowly walked in circles around it. Their dragons lay in the middle, watching them lazily. "Hildi, how do the people of Machen feel about dragons?"

"I guess they aren't quite as friendly as Berk is," she replied. "They like me just fine. They're glad to know there's a dragon handy if we get raided, and they like seeing me overhead. But up close and personal, Wizard makes them a little nervous."

"Mm-hmm. Have you ever considered training another rider?"

"I think half the young people in the village would become riders if they could," she answered. "Some of them would probably be good dragon trainers."

"But...?"

"But after the way my first student turned out, I don't dare take on another one."

"Hildi, your first student is quietly earning his keep as a bootmaker, and making huge progress on fixing the messed-up relationship he has with his dragon. The only reason we haven't given him his Dragon Rider badge is because he doesn't want a lot of attention. Tetnuss was an unusual situation; what he did wasn't your fault."

"Still, if I was going to try again, I'd want someone else nearby who knew his dragons, just in case."

Snart nodded, then looked around. "Change of subject. Those rocky islands off to the north — are they part of Machen?"

"Yes, but we don't do anything with them. One of them has a cave inside; we use it to hide our children and valuables if we get raided. The rest are just bare rock. We've tried grazing goats on them; even _they_ can't find enough to eat there. Why?"

"Just thinking." He looked at the sky. "Am I mistaken, or is a storm blowing up?"

"It does look threatening up there. I'm glad our ships are safely home. Oh — you've got ships at sea!"

"Yes, headed this way, and headed right into the storm. Ever flown in bad weather, Hildi?"

"I try to avoid it."

"I think I need to check on our ships; they may need help. Will you fly with me?" She nodded. They roused their dragons, buckled their belts to their saddles, and rose into the wind.

At least it wasn't raining. That was the only good news. The winds grew stronger as they headed south, forcing them to zigzag rather than fly straight. They finally found three ships, tacking and rowing near the shore. "Follow me in, Hildi!"

Nadders were experts at riding air currents, and these winds were so strong that the dragons could actually hover in place. Snart flew next to the lead ship.

"We need to beach ourselves!" Stoick roared over the wind and waves, pointing to the shore.

"Where's the fourth ship?" Snart shouted back.

"She tried to beach! The wind turned her sideways and smashed her to bits on the rocks! The crew is safe on shore, but we don't dare try it again!"

Snart thought fast. "Pass me a line from your sternpost! We'll act like a flying sea anchor; we'll keep you pointed at the shore until you're beached!"

"That'll work!" shouted Gobber.

Snart waved Hildi in closer. "Watch what we do, and do the same thing for the next ship!" She nodded.

Skybaby had no trouble picking up the rope when it was tossed to her. But she thought she was supposed to pull the ship out to sea. "No, no, Baby! Fly slow!" A big wave hit the ship and jerked its stern to port. Snart nudged his dragon in the other direction to straighten her out. After two more such jerks, Skybaby understood what Snart wanted of her, and she corrected their heading on her own.

But the boat's mass was far greater than the dragon's, and they couldn't stop the lurching from the waves, only correct it. Snart hadn't endured such a neck-snapping ride since he first took off on Skydancer. He could see Wizard working with the second ship, having a slightly easier time of it because he was a bigger dragon.

Because he and Skybaby were facing away from the ship, they couldn't see how close they were to the shore. Finally, a heavy grinding noise told them that they'd succeeded. The Vikings jumped out, siezed lines, and pulled their ship all the way onto land, assisted by the waves. Five minutes later, the second ship grounded next to them.

"Hildi, I don't think Skybaby is strong enough to do that again. How strong is Wizard?"

"I think he's fine. I'll bring in the third ship." The dragon-and-rider pair turned and flew back out to sea, where the third ship was fighting the wind alone. Snart was worried for the crew, for the dragon, but most of all for the rider. One really good snap could throw her out of the saddle and into the sea, riding belt or no riding belt.

He watched them drift in, yawing from side to side, then straightening as Wizard pulled the stern around. For a moment, it looked like they would strike a sharp-looking rock that jutted out of the sea, but crew and dragon enabled them to miss it. They grounded on the other side of the first ship, and scrambled to pull it up higher.

The blue Nadder dropped to the ground. "Hildi, your dragon is —"

"He's too tired to go anywhere, I know." They approached Stoick. "Our dragons are too worn out to fly for a while. We'll stay here until they're rested, then fly back to Machen."

"We'll ride out the storm here," Stoick nodded. "Once they've rested a bit, could your dragons help us get a fire started?"

"Dragons are good for that, sir," Hildi answered with a twinkle.

About two hours later, the Nadders were rested enough to fly again. Hildi tried to get Wizard to light a cooking fire for the stranded sailors, but his super-hot fire blasted the firewood out of existence. Snart coached her in how to ask for a very short burst of fire, and Wizard's second attempt worked much better.

"The two of ye make a fine team," Gobber noted with a wink as they prepared to take off.

As they flew back to Machen with the wind at their backs, Hildi was very quiet. "Is something on your mind, Hildi?" Snart finally called.

She turned to face him, and he saw that she was crying. "It's not fair! Like Gobber said, we're a good team, and I like you, and you like me, and we do everything well together, and... and we don't have a future! I can't leave Machen, and you can't leave the Academy!"

"I can't?"

"No, don't even _think_ it! I know it's romantic to leave everything for love, but... that's your home! All the good you do there, all the people you help... Snart, _don't!_ If you do that... I won't speak to you!" She veered her dragon away to open some distance between them. The rest of the flight passed in silence.

When they landed, Rainbit ran to meet them, followed by Germburg. "Hildi, we didn't know where you were! We saw your dragon gone, so we thought you'd gone flying, but... in a storm? Where have you been?"

She explained what they'd done, with Snart nodding in agreement. She still had the power to tell a good story, he noted; he didn't have to add anything to her narrative. When she was done, Germburg nodded and walked away thoughtfully.


	37. Chapter 37

**Snart's Saga, Part I** Chapter 37

The storm blew itself out that night. The remaining ships from Berk would probably take another day and a half to get to Machen. Snart used that time to have a noteworthy conversation with Germberg, some free flying time with Skybaby, some time to walk and talk with Hildi, and a lot of time to sit and think.

When the Berk trading fleet finally arrived, they were met at the docks by Germburg, Rainbit, Snart, and Hildi. "Welcome, Berk!" the local chief shouted. "This is the first time we've ever had ships from another town at these piers without us trying to repel them."

"And this is the first time we've sailed with ships full of weapons and never meant to use them," agreed Stoick. He leaped lightly (for a man his size) onto the dock and extended his hand. "I'm Stoick of Berk. You must be Germburg." Snart made the rest of the introductions.

"Gobber, here, is our town blacksmith," Stoick continued. "He knows the value of everything we've brought, so he'll help us hammer out a deal."

"That's acceptable," nodded Germburg. "My wife, Rainbit, keeps track of the daily fish catches, so she'll help us as well." The four of them walked to the Mead Hall to negotiate, leaving Snart and Hildi on the waterfront.

"Your stepfather is a lucky man, having a smart, strong wife who helps him with everything," Snart said softly.

"My mother is a lucky woman, having a smart, strong husband who lets her help," she answered, just as softly.

Before he could reply, they heard dragon noises from the clearing. Skybaby launched herself into the blue for a little exercise, with Wizard close behind her. For a few moments, they soared back and forth in an intricate aerial dance that Snart hadn't seen since...

"No way!" he exclaimed. "Hildi, I can't swear to this, but I think Wizard is the dragon Skybaby mated with, back on Lovecraft Island. His markings look awfully familiar."

"That would be just too funny," she sighed, and slowly walked away.

When she looked for him that afternoon, he and his dragon were gone. Stoick said he'd stopped by the Mead Hall to say he was flying back to Berk, and he'd be back in Machen the next morning.

"Did he say anything else?" she asked anxiously.

"He asked me a couple of unusual questions, but he made me promise not to mention them until I get home to Berk."

Just before supper, they reached a deal that made everyone happy. Everyone, that is, except Gobber. "We're getting a fair value for our weapons and tools," he told Stoick earnestly, "but I can't make enough new ones by myself to handle another trade every week. I may have to ask Hiccup to leave off with the dragons and help me in the forge."

"We'll work out a deal with him, too, Gobber. We've made peace with the dragons, we've made peace with another village... I feel like we can do anything now!"

"Like you once said, Stoick, a Viking can do anything if he puts his mind to it!" They enjoyed a laugh as they waited for the food to be served. Hildi ate by herself that night; the others were too busy toasting each other and their new agreement to notice.

Snart returned very early next morning; he and Skybaby must have taken off before dawn. "Hildi, will you and Wizard ride with me to Berk? I have something to say there that you need to hear."

"What are you are going to say?"

"You'll hear it when you get there."

She spun him around to face her squarely. "Have I told you lately that I _don't like it_ when you keep secrets from me?"

"You also told me once that you would trust me. Please, trust me just a little more." He looked earnestly in her eyes.

"Snart, if you quit the Academy, I don't know _what_ I'll do."

"Please just come with me to Berk. You won't be sorry. And please don't cry — that's the _last_ thing I want."

"But there's just no way! We're both locked into two different places!" They flew southward. The entire time, he thought he heard her saying to herself, "It's not fair. There's no way. It's not fair. There's no way."

When they arrived, the Academy was having its usual morning meeting. They took seats and waited. It took longer than usual; Astrid was explaining that all the dragons and riders would need Sea Dragon training so they could help the fleet find fish. Finally, Hiccup nodded to Snart, who stood up.

"I have a problem, and I need your agreement on the solution I've come up with," he began. They all noticed Hildi sitting next to him, and everyone began jumping to conclusions in their minds.

Ruffnut: "Here it comes — he's going to marry his dragon."

Astrid: "Is he going to leave the Academy for love? That would be so romantic!"

Fishlegs: "Is he going to propose to her right here in front of all of us, so she can't say no?"

Tuffnut: "He's going to dump the girl and stay at the Academy, and he's doing it here so she can't make a scene."

Hiccup: "He told me his plan, and I love it, but I hope he doesn't stress everyone out before he gets to the point."

Hildi's thoughts were far too turbulent to summarize.

Snotlout expressed his thoughts out loud. "Snart and Hildi, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S—OW! Astrid, you hit me! Does that mean you like me?" Astrid just snorted as Snart continued.

"In my entire life, nothing has meant more to me than this Academy, and the friends I've made, and the things I've been able to do here. I feel like I've really made a difference. But now I've found someone who means even more to me.

"I can't leave my work at the Academy, because it's my life, and because Hildi has threatened me with the most dire of consequences if I do. But I can't stay away from her, because... that's just not an option. And she can't come here. So there's only one thing I can do.

"Unless someone objects, I want to open a second Dragon Training Academy at Machen."

Everyone felt shock and amazement. Astrid and Fishlegs quickly got over it and started rejoicing. Hiccup finally let himself smile. Hildi didn't quite dare let herself believe what she'd just heard.

"Germburg has given us a small island near Machen with a cave. It will make a good Academy meeting space, and a good dragon's nest as well. It's close enough that we can get to Machen in a hurry, but far enough away that the dragons won't scare people until they get used to them.

"Germburg has also agreed to the same arrangement Stoick has given the Academy here — we can get our living from the town — as long as we don't get too big, and as long as we help the town. He liked the sound of our Sea Dragon work during that last storm, and he wants that for Machen's fishing fleet. So all our riders will be Sea Dragon trained.

"I'll be the head of this new Academy, and Hildi will be my... whatever you call a right-hand man when she's a woman. Hildi knows some likely dragon-trainer candidates, but she wants another trainer nearby to give her confidence. I'll be there for her. And every new trainer in Machen means one less dragon to feed in Berk, which might be important until this fish problem sorts itself out.

"Stoick doesn't like the idea of me leaving Berk, but he understands my situation and he won't fight me. So, except for me not seeing you every day, I think that makes everybody happy." He glanced at Hiccup, who was grinning hugely.

Tuffnut glanced at Hildi. "Way to go, Snart! You made her cry!"

Ruff gave her brother a shove. "You're such an idiot! Those are happy tears."

"How am I supposed to tell them apart? I'm not a _girl!_" They fell to arguing and pushing; everyone else tuned them out.

Snart turned to Hildi. "So, my lady, I'll still be helping people and doing great things; I'll just be doing them with you by my side. Is this okay with —" Her flying hug knocked the wind out of him, and he never finished his sentence.

"I think that's a 'yes'," Fishlegs suggested.

"I know we're all going to miss you," Hiccup said. "We've found the craziest problems for you, and you've come up with the most amazing solutions... but we'll still see you now and then, right?"

"Absolutely yes!" Snart replied. "We'll only be two hours away. We'll train our own riders, but we'll have to come to Berk for the dragons. I'll keep teaching Tetnuss about dragon doctoring. And we'll come to you for major decisions, like promoting Dragon Friends to Dragon Riders and stuff like that.

"And that reminds me, Hiccup. Now that I'm leaving Berk, that means there's only one Dragon Master here."

"You're right!" Hiccup exclaimed, his face lighting up. "All in favor of making Astrid a Dragon Master?" Astrid, who was focused on Hildi, was stunned; all the other hands went up immediately.

"Hey, Hildi can't vote!" Tuffnut protested. "She's not part of the Academy!"

"She's part of the Machen Academy," Snart retorted firmly.

"Seven votes yes, zero votes no, one abstained," Hiccup recited as he gazed at Astrid, who was almost as overjoyed as Hildi was. "Congratulations. And _now_, I think everybody's happy!"

Hildi just stared at Snart, her eyes brimming over. She finally managed to say, "I can't believe you! You did it again," then buried her face in his shoulder. Skybaby wasn't sure what had just happened, but she could tell her rider was very happy, so she sidled over to be close to him. Snart rested one hand on his dragon's neck, and wrapped the other arm around Hildi's shoulders.

"I used to think there was nothing I couldn't do with a good dragon beside me," he grinned. "Now that I've got a good woman, too, I'll be unstoppable. But now comes the hard part."

"What's that?" Hildi asked, looking up at him.

"A long time ago, I promised your mother I would train you in dragons and _nothing else_. Pretty soon, I'll have to ask her to release me from that promise."

_THE END_

_(of Part 1)_

**o**

A/N This story will pick up with Part II. It will all be part of the same story; I just broke it into parts for convenience while I was writing it, and the chapter titles will reflect this.

To all my reviewers and favorite/follow folk: thank you, thank you, thank you! It might amuse you to know that this story started as a very elaborate daydream about what would happen if I lived near Berk, and Snart began life as a hopeless Marty Stu character named Mikkel. When I decided to write it all down and publish it here, I did some major rewriting to make my OC more believable and more interesting. I'm glad you like the results.

Wilson, my faithful reviewer whom I can't contact because you only have a guest account: I'm sorry you don't care for the lovey-dovey stuff. When I started this story, I didn't intend to have any of it. But I couldn't think of any other way to set up the story I wanted to tell. I actually invented Mallie to be Snart's love interest, then changed my mind. That left no one for the role but Hildi, whom I'd planned as a recurring peripheral character. In other words, the two characters swapped places on me. The bad news (for you) is that this isn't the end of the romance. The good news is that there's plenty more action and character development as well. Raids, rescues, personality clashes, sword fights, wild dragons, some bits of humor, a couple of all-out wars, and I've got some dragon-training scenes coming up that I think you'll really like.


	38. Part 2, Chapter 1

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 1

A/N This is the second of three novel-length parts to the Saga, and builds a cast of original characters, in addition to the canon cast. Part II begins very shortly after Part I ends; read Part I or you'll have no idea what's going on. Parts I and II deserve a K+ rating, but Part III needs a T rating, so the whole thing gets a T. The ratings are for subject matter and mild violence; the language is all K-rated.

**o**

Setting up a new Dragon Training Academy wasn't nearly as easy as Snart had expected. First, there was the physical work of clearing out the island cave and making it fit for human habitation. Rocks and debris had to be hauled away, either by boat or by dragon, and while both Snart's Skybaby and Hildi's Wizard were willing to help, there were limits to their strength and endurance, and Skybaby was not a large or a powerful dragon. It took many days before the new Academy area was ready.

Just as challenging was the task of winning acceptance from the people of Machen Island. For generations, they had considered dragons their enemies, to be killed on sight. Now, they were slowly warming to the idea of Hildi, their chief's stepdaughter, training and riding a dragon among them. But a whole school of dragon trainers, riding a flock of the huge beasts? Some found it hard to overcome old prejudices. Others resented giving baskets full of hard-earned fish to feed the great creatures, especially his own dragon, seeing how he and Skybaby weren't native to the town. Still others just didn't see the need for them.

Snart quickly decided not to try and persuade anyone. He left the persuasion to Hildi, who was very, _very_ good at it. Her gift for storytelling enabled her to bring recent events in Berk to vivid life. So when she described how dragons could fight off a raid from another Viking tribe, or rescue sailors in distress, she left no doubt in her hearers' minds that dragons could be very useful indeed. Slowly, two or three at a time, she was winning over the entire village.

Germburg, the village chief, was already convinced, which was fortunate. Snart faced a different problem with him. He had heard how Snart and Hildi had helped some ships safely beach themselves in a storm, and had quickly realized that dragons would be good for his tribe's fishing fleet. Like most men of action, he wanted results _now_.

So, in addition to working on the Academy and talking to the villagers, Snart and Hildi had to take time every day or two to fly out with the boats. They had to learn to navigate over water, scan the sea for signs of fish, and speak the language of sailors — Snart, an ex-farmer, had some trouble with "starboard" and "port." They also had to make some day trips to Berk, to learn the fine points of dragons-over-water from Astrid and her experienced Sea Dragon team.

Adding to their complications was that Rainbit, the chief's wife and Hildi's mother, didn't completely trust Snart to be alone with her daughter. When Rainbit and Snart had first met, he was helping his tribe (at the time) raid her village of valuables. His role in that raid was ineffectual, and he had sworn off raiding at Hiccup's request shortly after that, but she couldn't quite forget that unfortunate first impression. So he had to check in with her several times a day, to reassure her that he was behaving himself.

All of this made for long, tiring days. One afternoon, they met in the clearing that served as their dragons' nest, and flopped down on their backs in the grass, exhausted.

"I don't know why your mother doesn't trust me," Snart said after a moment. "We don't have enough energy to misbehave."

"Or the time," agreed Hildi. "We're so busy setting up the Dragon Training Academy, we don't even have time to train dragons!"

Snart chuckled ruefully. "We're going to have to find the time and energy for that soon, or the town will wonder why they're feeding us. Got any likely choices for our first candidate?"

"A couple," nodded Hildi. "Nagmire, my cousin, is very curious about Wizard, and isn't at all afraid of him. Tarburn, the basket-maker's apprentice, also seems very interested, and he's good with animals." She smiled wryly. "Some of that might be because he wants to impress Nagmire, though."

"What about your stepbrother?"

"Jackbart?" queried Hildi. "He's showing interest, but he's too much like Snotlout for my liking. And he's got to get over his dislike of getting messy sometimes. He probably _could_ ride a dragon, but I'm not sure he _should_. At least, not as our first new trainer. We need to make a good first impression on the town."

"I hear you on that," Snart answered sadly. "But we may have to take him on, just to appease the chief. Germburg is a little more hands-on with his Academy than Stoick is. If we want the kind of freedom that the Berk Riders have, we're going to have to earn it."

"Or put the chief's son in charge of it, like Berk did."

"Why? You're the chief's daughter, and that isn't helping."

"Stepdaughter," Hildi corrected him. "Germburg is a good man, and he likes me, and he allows women to do whatever they're good at. But I grew up without a father, and I don't know how to relate to him as anything other than my village chief. Being his relative by marriage hasn't earned me any favors, and if it did, I'm not sure I'd want them."

"Then we'll have to earn our autonomy the hard way," sighed Snart. "I wonder if there are any shortcuts we could — hey!" He sat up, excited. "Have your mother and stepdad ever been up on a dragon before?"

"No, they haven't," nodded Hildi, "and you might be on to something. I still remember how exciting my first flight was, and my first sight of my village from the air. If they agree to it, that might make them think very nice thoughts about us! Great idea, Snart! Let's ask them after the town meeting tomorrow night."

The meeting didn't run as long as usual. There were few problems from the fishermen, the tradesmen had no news, and Beanbow, an aging warrior and the town's chief complainer, didn't attend the meeting that night. As the people dispersed to their homes, Snart and Hildi approached Germburg and Rainbit.

"Sir, _Frue,_ we'd like to make you an offer," Snart began.

"Tomorrow morning, before the fleet comes back in, we'd like to take both of you for a short dragon ride," Hildi went on. "So you can see Machen from the air."

Rainbit immediately looked suspicious; Germburg stroked his beard thoughtfully. "How would this benefit me?" he asked.

"Well, sir," Snart began, "here's one example. When I approached you about the fish-for-weapons deal with Berk, you were busy judging a property-line dispute. Think how easy it would be to settle issues like that if you could look down on the land from above, and see everything at once?"

Germburg nodded. "I can see how that would be useful. What's your motive?" Rainbit nodded approvingly.

"We'd like you to understand our position a little better," Hildi answered. "Five or ten minutes in the air would tell you more about dragons and their riders than all the words I could speak in an hour."

"We've heard how many words you can speak in an hour, Hildi," Rainbit cut in; Germburg smiled. "I think we have some time free tomorrow morning, don't we, _Kjære_?"

"If it pleases you, we'll do it," he nodded.

Next day was a typical Machen morning — clear, slightly windy, and cold enough to freeze the very flames of a camp fire. Snart and Hildi had their hands in their pockets as they waited for their passengers to arrive.

Germburg and Rainbit eventually walked into the clearing, a little nervously, it seemed to Snart. Both had faced armed warriors without blinking, but they were still not too sure about dragons. "Let's saddle up," Snart said, taking the initiative. "This can be as short or as long as you'd like."

"Sir, if you don't mind riding with me?" Hildi asked. "You're the bigger person, and Wizard is the stronger dragon." Rainbit shot her daughter a look; Snart wondered what that was about.

He helped Rainbit get settled onto Skybaby's neck, on the back part of the saddle. "Brace your neck, _Frue_," he advised her. "When a Nadder springs into the air, she can really snap your head back. Ready, Hildi? Count us down."

"Wizard, Skybaby, three, two, one, _up!_" Both dragons tensed on "one" and leaped into the air together on "up." Both passengers held tightly to their riders for a few seconds, then forced themselves to relax their grip.

The dragons leveled off at five hundred feet, easily flying wingtip to wingtip from many hours of practice. "Check out the view, _Frue_," Snart suggested. At first, all Rainbit did was gasp. After a few seconds, her breathing returned to normal. Her first words were, "Now I see why Hildi was so excited after that first flight."

Germburg said nothing for a few seconds. At last, he softly said, "I never imagined..." His eyes darted back and forth, taking in the village, the surrounding lands, the harbor, everything. He examined each building, each path, each little garden plot, viewing it all as though he had never seen these things before, even though he had authority and responsibility for all of them.

Meanwhile, Rainbit was drinking in the view, not focusing on any one detail but taking it all in at once. "Can we go higher?" she asked.

"Sure we can. Hildi, give the chief a good ride. We'll see you on the ground. Skybaby, up!" The green dragon flapped hard and gained altitude.

"The world looks like a patchwork quilt from up here," Rainbit sighed. "The land, the forest, the sea... what are those specks over there?" She pointed.

"That's our fishing fleet, _Frue_, coming in with their catch," Snart answered with a laugh.

"Those ships must be several miles out!" she exclaimed.

"Probably eleven or twelve miles, at a guess," he replied. "Once you've done this a few times, you learn how to recognize things at a distance. That's one of the things Hildi and I do for Machen — we check several times a day for incoming raiders. We'd spot them hours before they got to the harbor."

"I didn't know you were doing that!" Rainbit exclaimed. "But it makes sense, and I'm glad."

"We told Germburg about it when we started, and I'm sure Hildi was doing it informally long before I moved here." He sensed that Rainbit was tensing up. "Let me guess — you don't like it when people keep secrets from you?"

"I certainly do _not!_ How did you know?"

"It runs in the family, _Frue_. Would you like to go higher?"

"No, take me out to the fleet. I'd like to see our ships the way you see them." Skybaby banked easily in response to Snart's directions, and they glided in silence toward the fishing boats in the distance.

"Everything looks so small from up here, Snart. You and Hildi must feel like you own the world sometimes."

"Own it? No. But sometimes we tell ourselves we can change it."

"If what Hildi tells me is true, you've already changed it quite a bit, Snart. Perhaps more than you realize."

"Well, I've noticed one change already, _Frue_. Up here on a dragon's back, a thousand feet above the ground, you're calling me 'Snart' instead of 'dragon-man'. That's a small change, but I appreciate it." She chuckled as they passed over the fishing fleet. The sailors, intent on their landfall, never saw their tribe's headwoman gliding overhead.

**o**

A/N

_Frue _— ma'am  
_Kjære_ — dear


	39. Part 2, Chapter 2

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 2

"Snart, I'm not sure we did such a good thing when we took my mother and stepfather for a ride."

Snart looked up from his handwritten notes. "Hildi, ever since we gave them a ride, Germburg has given us everything we've asked for! People to work in the cave, a boat to haul off the last of the debris... he _never_ would have made those concessions before. He's like a different man! That ride opened his eyes, in more ways than one."

"He's not the one who's worrying me, Snart. It's my mother. All she talks about is dragons! She's asked me for more flights, and I've taken her up when I could, but that's not all. She's asking all kinds of questions about dragons, stuff I've never even thought of. I think maybe we should take her to Berk and let her spend some time with the Book of Dragons. That's the only way she'll get her answers, and it's the only way I'll get any rest."

Snart looked at his notes again. "Hildi, how good is your mother's penmanship?"

"Her what?"

"Her writing. How clean is it, how accurate, how consistent?"

"She's the headwoman; she has to make all kinds of records, so I guess it's pretty good. Are you planning to have her make copies of your dragon-training notes or something?"

"Something like that. And since I know I shouldn't keep secrets from you, here's what I'm thinking..." He told her.

"Snart, you are out of your mind! You've flipped, you've lost it, too much dragon fire has broiled your brain. Aside from that, I _love_ it. But you're going to have to arrange it yourself, for obvious reasons." Snart nodded happily and began making his plans.

That evening, it was his turn to fly the northern search route. They had agreed there was no point in searching to the south; the only southern villages within raiding range were Berk, which was friendly, and Hulm, which couldn't hurt them now that Machen had dragons. But there were several villages to the north who lived by raiding their neighbors, and who didn't know about the dragons yet.

It was ships from the biggest of those villages, Jond, that Snart located that evening. They were hugging the coastline in single file, rowing because the wind was against them; by the number of men on each ship, they were clearly not looking for fish. Snart turned Skybaby around and hot-winged it back to Machen.

"I counted seven ships, Germburg. _Karvis_, all of them. About twenty men on each ship. You once told me about the village symbols, and I definitely saw the skull and crossed swords of Jond on their shields."

Germburg looked grim. "I'm still relatively new here; I haven't dealt with them before. Rain, what do you think?"

Rainbit looked even grimmer. "It's been a few years since the last time they raided us. They're a big village; they outnumber us badly. Usually, we hide the children on your island, along with our valuables, then hide ourselves in the woods until they're gone. They'll wreck the town, but we can rebuild afterwards if the people survive. Can your two dragons change that?"

"At the very least, we can cut down their advantage over us. At best, we might turn them back before they ever reach Machen."

"Two dragons against a hundred and forty warriors?" Rainbit asked in disbelief.

"When they get to land, _Frue_, it's two dragons against that many warriors. But as long as they're at sea, it's two dragons against seven ships, and those are much better odds. I've done this before. The only question is how bloodthirsty you want us to be."

Germburg tapped his finger on the map where Snart had seen the ships, while Rainbit looked at her daughter nervously. "Mercy is a trait we can't afford, Snart, not against Jond. Anything you can do to them is fair game, considering what they'll do to us if they get here."

"In that case, sir, I suggest you spread your warriors along the coast of Machen Island. Because the only Jond warriors who get here will be shipwrecked, tired, burnt, disarmed, half-drowned, and probably ready to surrender." Germburg looked at the younger man intently, then nodded once.

As they left, Rainbit caught Hildi's elbow. "Please be careful out there, Hildi. You too, Snart. We don't want to lose either of you."

"We'll play it safe, _Frue_. It's not as glorious, and nobody will write a saga about it, but it will be just as effective. We'll take off as soon as it's light enough to see, and hit them before they ever lay eyes on Machen. Hildi, we both should catch a few hours' sleep before we go into battle." Neither of them could sleep.

Early that morning, Germburg and Rainbit walked with Snart and Hildi to the clearing. Both dragons were alert and aware that something was going on. They stamped the ground and blew steam out their noses, eager to take off and face whatever nemesis awaited them.

Germburg took Snart's hand firmly. "You're flying with all our hopes on you. Do great things, Snart."

"If you see their ships, you'll know we've failed," Snart answered. "We won't fail."

Rainbit's farewell to Hildi was more subdued and a lot more emotional. Then they climbed onto their Nadders, clipped their riding belts to their saddles, and on Snart's command, they sprang into the chill morning air and turned north.

"When we find them, we'll go right past them, then turn around," Snart instructed his co-warrior. "We'll make slashing attacks from behind them, low and from the landward side. I want to sink at least four of them while we have the advantage of surprise, so the other ships will be overcrowded with survivors. Once we've sunk more than half their fleet, we'll see if they turn back. If not, we'll stay out of throwing-axe range and make another plan. Ready?"

"I'm ready," Hildi answered grimly.

"Then let's spread out a little and find them," Snart ordered. He turned inshore; Hildi drifted out to sea. She was the first to see the enemy ships approaching in two columns. In the early-morning darkness, the raiders never saw the dragons coming.

"Skybaby, we're going to flame. Get your fire ready. Down, Skybaby. Down some more." Snart took his dragon down as low as he dared. "See where I'm pointing? That's where I want you to flame, and then keep going up to there. Ready, Skybaby? Ready... FIRE!" A shaft of light, too bright to look at in the darkness, lanced out from the dragon's mouth. It clipped the ship's rudder off, then cleaved a wavering line along the side of the ship, slicing off the rowers' oars as it went. Where the fiery line dipped below the waterline, water boiled, then poured in through the hole the fire had made. The ship lurched to starboard, clearly doomed. Men threw themselves overboard, screaming in surprise and terror.

He glanced back and saw Hildi's ship flaming and beginning to sink. _Good,_ he thought; _two down, five to go_. As they set up for their second attack, he saw, to his horror, that the other ships did not stop to pick up swimmers, but kept on going toward Machen.

"They're leaving their men to die! That's not going by any Viking code I've ever heard of," he exclaimed. "Those swimmers will either drown, freeze in the sea, or freeze on land if they get that far."

"Snart, I know you don't like killing, but they don't leave us any choice," Hildi called back. "If we try to be humane, they'll kill us and destroy our town. It's us or them." The dragons closed the range silently.

They flamed almost simultaneously. Wizard made short work of the rear ship, but Skybaby's shot didn't get low enough to make any holes below the waterline. The ship was flaming brightly, and the shields along the side had to be thrown overboard when they caught fire, but she was not in immediate danger of sinking.

"That didn't work," Hildi observed sourly when they met again. "Now the fires are giving them light so they can see us."

"Each of our dragons has four more shots," Snart replied. "We've got time to do this right. Okay, I'll make another pass at the burning ship; they'll be too busy fighting the fire to give me any trouble. You come in from their port bow and hit the lead ship in the outer row. His own hull will shadow you from the light of the flames, so they won't see you. Rake him from front to back. We'll meet in front of them. Go!" She waved and pulled away.

His third strike succeeded where the second one failed, but it nearly ended in disaster. One of the sailors on the doomed ship threw an axe at him as he banked away. It hit Skybaby on the right flank under her wing. Dragon scales are tough; the axe bounced off without penetrating. A little higher, and it would have hit the wing.

"Five down, two to go, they know we're here, they aren't turning back, and it's getting light enough to see," Hildi reported.

"Thank you for summing that up," Snart nodded. "We'll hit the lead ship head-on in single file. Shoot up the deck, set it on fire so they have to abandon ship. Then break off to the seaward side, low and fast, so they can't throw anything at you. Here we go!"

The lead ship might have put out the fires from one dragon blast, but two was too much for any crew to handle. The ship was soon abandoned and blazing from end to end. The one remaining ship stopped rowing, allowing some of the survivors to reach her and climb aboard.

Snart flew slowly alongside that last ship. "Are you ready to give up and go home?"

"Our chief will slaughter us if we come back empty," came a cry from the ship.

"We'll slaughter you if you keep going," Hildi answered from the other side of the ship. There was no answer.

"We'll make it easy for you. Hildi, do what I do." He directed Skybaby to take a fiery shot along the length of the ship. But it wasn't aimed at the ship, but at the oars, which were all sliced off as if by a very hot knife. Wizard copied this move a moment later on the other side of the ship.

"There, now you have no choice but to run with the wind, which will take you back to Jond and not much else. Give our love to your chief, and tell him to never come near this village again."

The ship turned about slowly, raised her sail, and drifted away northward. Survivors from the other ships were climbing aboard as best they could. "We should have sunk him," Hildi growled. "Now Jond will know we've got dragons."

"That's what I'm counting on," Snart answered. "Now they'll know they don't have a prayer against us, and they'll leave us alone. That's what we want, right?"

"I'm not sure Germburg will see it that way," she retorted. They flew in circles for a few minutes to make sure the remaining Jond ship didn't try anything sneaky, then returned home.

Their arrival drew a mixed reaction. Rainbit was overjoyed to see her daughter again, and Germburg was quietly pleased at Snart's report. But some of the more hot-headed warriors weren't happy that they'd been denied a chance to win glory on the battlefield.

"How do we know there were any Jonds at all?" demanded old Beanbow. "You say they were there, but nobody saw them except you."

"Would you like to see the floating debris from six sunken ships?" Snart challenged. "I was going to ask Hildi to take Germburg out to see the battle zone on Wizard's back. After all, he's the chief; he has the right to see what his people have done. Beanbow, suppose I give you a ride there on _my_ dragon? You can see the debris, and decide for yourself if there were any Jonds there." Beanbow went a bit pale, considered his options for a second, and stalked away angrily.

"A fine idea, Snart," nodded Germburg. "But would you be willing to take me there?" Snart, surprised, nodded 'yes,' and the chief climbed up behind him.

Once they were airborne, Germburg said, "Snart, I'm not sure you did the best thing by letting some of them get away. They'll be back, and they'll learn something from this defeat you gave them."

"I guess that's one of my failings as a Viking," Snart confessed. "Crippling a ship so it can't attack us, that's one thing. Sinking a ship when the people can be rescued by friends, that's another thing. But mowing people down when they have nowhere to go but the Arctic Ocean? I struggle with that. If they'd thrown axes at me like one of the other ships did, then it's self-defense and I don't feel so bad about hitting back. I don't think I'll ever be a hardened killer, though."

"You may have to harden yourself some more if you're going to live and thrive on Machen," Germburg answered. "We aren't killers by trade, but we're surrounded by people who are. Being nice is a luxury we can't afford. Where's all the floating debris you promised me?"

"It's all been blown inshore by the wind," Snart replied. "Skybaby, turn right, just a little. Good." As they approached the coast, they saw that the waters were littered with floating shields, debris from ships' decks, and an uncomfortable number of Jonds who would never see another sunrise.

Germburg finally broke the silence. "_Two_ dragons did all _that?_"

"We had the advantages of surprise and darkness," Snart explained. "They were timing their raid to go in just after sunrise, when there was enough light to see, but most of our men would still be out fishing. If they'd come an hour later, Hildi and I would _not_ have had such an easy time of it." Germburg nodded.

When they returned to Machen, Germburg called for the people's attention. "I have seen the proof. There were ships, they were full of armed men, and our dragon riders have won us a victory like we've never seen before! Tonight, we feast in their honor!" That brought a cheer. Hildi and Snart grimaced at each other; neither one had any desire to be shoved into the limelight.

The feast was a happy time nonetheless. There was nothing new on the menu (fish, fish, pork, and fish), but the cooks added some of their rare spices to make it flavorful. When the chief asked for a telling of the battle, Hildi rose reluctantly, but told the tale in her usual masterful fashion. Then they wanted to hear Snart's version. He mostly repeated what Hildi had said, but from his own point of view. When he got to the part about the thrown axe, that made the warriors sit up and take notice.

"I want to see the mark where that axe hit your dragon," one of them loudly announced. Others agreed.

"It's too dark now, but meet me in the clearing tomorrow when you get back from fishing, and I'll show it to you," Snart answered.

The next morning, ten or twelve warriors gathered on the outskirts of the clearing. The two dragons were watching them curiously. "Warriors, gather 'round. Skybaby, I need you to lift this wing. That's good. Men, here's the mark you wanted to see." The axe had scored three of the tough scales and chipped the tip off one of them; there was probably a bruise underneath.

One by one, the warriors traced the mark with their fingers. Skybaby craned her neck to keep an eye on them, unsure of what was going on. As the last one turned away, he said to Snart, "Yes, that definitely will do it."

"Will do what?" Snart asked. The burly man clasped Snart's hand warmly for a moment before returning to his daily work.

Snart noticed Germburg watching from the edge of the clearing. "Sir, what was that all about?"

The chief smiled. "You came to us from another tribe and another village, and you still visit Berk from time to time. Some people haven't been sure where your loyalty lies. I'm sure you've noticed that you don't get warm greetings like everyone else does. But now you've fought for us, and you've taken a wound for us — or rather, your dragon did, which might as well be the same thing, seeing how you always fight together. According to old tradition, those signs are what make you 'one of us.' You will get no more half-hearted greetings from anyone ever again, except maybe Beanbow."

Germburg stuck out his hand. "When you moved here, I welcomed you to the village. Now that the people have finally accepted you, I can welcome you to the tribe."

**o**

A/N

_Karvi_ — the smallest type of longship


	40. Part 2, Chapter 3

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 3

"Sir, our Academy is ready for its first student," Snart told Germburg. "We're telling you this so you'll know where we've gone, and where one of your young people has gone, for the next few days."

The chief nodded. "Thank you for the courtesy. Where are you going, and who is this first student?"

"As for the 'where,' Berk is the only place we can find dragons. As for the 'who,' we'd like to approach either Tarburn or Nagmire and see if they are dragon-trainer material."

"You aren't considering Jackbart?"

Snart chose his words carefully. "Your son definitely has potential, sir. But the last time Hildi trained a strong-willed young man, it didn't go so well. For our first student, we'd prefer someone more biddable. Once there are more of us, Jackbart will find his place in the group."

Germburg leaned forward and looked Snart firmly in the eye. "It would make me very happy if Jackbart was given a chance to be your first student."

"I understand you, sir. Jackbart will be given the same chance that Nagmire and Tarburn will get."

"Something else that would make me happy, Snart, is if you could find dragons somewhere other than Berk. They've kept their part of our trade deal perfectly, and I realize they haven't gone raiding in years. But I don't like having to depend too much on another village for anything."

"Berk has been trying to find more dragons for as long as they've been training them, sir, and they have a lot more than two riders to do the searching. The odds are slim that we can do a better job. I'm willing to try, though. We can make a winter project of it. But as long as the weather is good, we _have_ to focus on our ocean flying. We'll need to know our stuff before the storms set in, or we'll be no help to the fleet when they need us the most."

"Agreed," nodded Germburg. "Let me know who your first student turns out to be." He rose and left the Mead Hall.

Hildi turned to Snart. "That went better than I thought. I was sure he'd demand we train my stepbrother first."

"He may do that yet," nodded Snart, "but for now, we can still make our own decisions. We'll give all three of them a test flight, and if they all pass the test, they'll draw straws to see who goes first."

"We're due for one of our find-the-fleet-fast drills," Hildi said. "Let's combine the two, and take the two young men out to sea. We'll give Nagmire her test flight later in the day."

Both Tarburn and Jackbart were thrilled at the chance to ride a dragon. Unfortunately, Tarburn's joy turned to stark terror once they were off the ground. He refused to open his eyes, and Hildi could feel him shaking. After only five minutes, she had to take him back to land. The disconsolate young man slouched back to the village. Hildi caught up with Snart a few minutes later.

"That's a shame, but it's better if we find out sooner rather than later," Snart sighed. "We can't have a dragon rider who's afraid of heights."

"Let's spread out and find our fishing boats," Hildi suggested. "That's why we're out here, right?"

"What will they look like from up here?" Jackbart asked.

Snart turned to face his passenger. "If their sails are up, we'll see white specks on the water. If they're rowing, they'll be dark specks."

"I see some white specks over there!" Jackbart pointed.

"You're right," nodded Snart, "but there are way too many of them and they're spaced wrong. Those are whitecaps on the waves."

"Are you sure?" the chief's son demanded.

"Yes, we've been doing this for over a year," Hildi cut in. "Once you've ridden a dragon for a while, you'll learn to recognize things from the air at a quick glance."

Jackbart bit down on his reply. A few minutes later, they saw the fleet, with sails raised.

"Oh, now I see the difference!" Jackbart exclaimed. "Hey, can we fly down low so they can see me on a dragon?"

"We don't make low passes on ships except in emergencies," Snart answered. "A lot of people are still nervous about dragons. We don't want to scare anybody."

"Whose stupid idea was that?" queried Jackbart.

"Your father's idea." Jackbart had no reply to that. They circled the fleet once at high altitude, then flew home.

Once they landed, Jackbart ran into town to tell of his adventure to anyone who might listen. Hildi climbed down from Wizard's back and stroked his neck, to the Nadder's delight. Snart slid off of Skybaby and just leaned against her without moving.

"Snart, what's the matter? You haven't been yourself for days. I would have thought you'd be really happy, now that the village has finally accepted you."

"It's that raid, Hildi. I don't think I'm cut out to be a warrior." He paused. She stood next to him, waiting for him to continue.

"All those frozen, drowned men... When I'm awake, I can't stop thinking about them. If I manage to get to sleep, I have nightmares about them." He stared into her eyes intently. "Hildi, I know I did what I had to do. And I know I'm not the one who killed them. All I did was sink their ships — it was their own countrymen who killed them by refusing to rescue them." He took a deep breath. "If I could do it over again, I'd do it exactly like I did it before. And I'd be just as miserable as I am now."

For a few seconds, Hildi just looked at him. Then she threw her arms around him. He clung to her like a drowning man would cling to a floating buoy.

"I wish there was something I could do for you," she whispered.

"You're doing it," he murmured back. "But if your mother catches us like this, I'm a dead man." They held each other for another minute before he finally let her go.

"I needed that," he said quietly, with a trace of a smile.

"I know," she smiled back. "Shall we go find our other candidate and give her a test ride?"

Nagmire was the complete opposite of Tarburn. Fourteen, dark-haired, and of average height, she didn't look the part of a heroic Viking dragon rider, and she was slightly diffident as she approached Wizard. But once they were up in the air, her enthusiasm boiled over. She pointed out every feature in the village as she recognized them, she asked questions about dragons and riders and the Academy, and she was genuinely disappointed when the ride had to end.

"There's no question who our first student should be," Hildi told Snart after Nagmire left. "The only hard part will be getting her past Germburg."


	41. Part 2, Chapter 4

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 4

Snart had finished explaining why he and Hildi preferred Nagmire over Jackbart. They waited for Germburg's response. He stroked his beard and considered the matter until the dragon riders began to get nervous.

"I'll make you a deal," he said at last. "I won't push Jackbart on you for now, if you'll fly up to Jond and find out what they're doing. I want to know if they're building ships, and if so, what kinds of ships. Any other military preparations you can see from the air, I want to know about."

"We can do that," Snart and Hildi said at once. Snart continued, "That's one afternoon's work. We'll do what you ask, and then we'll take Nagmire to Berk to find her dragon afterward."

"If they are building ships," Hildi cut in, "should we flame them?"

Germburg half-smiled. "Yes. We've never raided Jond before — they're much too strong for us — but your dragons have changed the rules. We owe them a raid, I think. So if you can do them some harm without getting shot down, by all means burn them. When will you do this?"

"Tomorrow," they both said, and smiled at each other. Germburg nodded; the meeting was over.

"Away we go again," Hildi commented as they walked back to the clearing. "Hiccup is going to be unhappy when we ask him for all the battle stars we're earning."

"He's going to be even less happy when he learns I've broken my 'no more raids' promise," Snart replied.

"Snart, this isn't a real raid where you steal things and hurt people. This is a... a fact-finding mission, with a pre-emptive strike mixed in. Besides, you aren't under Hiccup's authority any more. You're the head of your own Academy, and you answer to Germburg."

"True. But I think a man's word should mean something. I hate to wiggle out on technicalities."

"If you feel that strongly about it, Snart, then you just circle the town while I go in and do the flaming."

"Forget that! On the day I let a lady fly into danger while I hang back and play it safe, I'll quit the dragons and go back to farming. I'll never be Machen's boldest warrior, but I'll do what I have to do."

"I know you will," she said, patting his arm quickly. "Even if it kills you."

He shivered for a moment, then forced a smile. "We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard."

The next morning passed too slowly for Snart, who was in a "let's do this and get it over with" mindset. Hildi, on the other hand, was busier than she'd intended. Nagmire had tied her up with questions about dragons, and in the middle of answering her, Rainbit had approached her with a dragon question of her own. Hildi wound up holding an impromptu Academy lesson in the Mead Hall, with a few children joining them and listening closely. She got a break from teaching only when lunch was served.

"I think the waiting is harder on me than the action," Snart said as he munched his fish roll.

"Remember, there might not be any action at all," Hildi answered. "If they aren't building warships, we'll just circle the town, see what we can see, and fly home again. I'm kind of excited — no one from Machen has ever seen Jond before."

"Somehow, I _don't_ think they're going to invite us to their Mead Hall for tea and biscuits," Snart muttered.

It would take about three hours to fly from Machen to Jond. They spent much of the flight in silence. Along the way, they passed over Elden, a tiny fishing village with a good harbor and not much else to commend it. Elden traditionally swore fealty to whichever of their neighbors seemed the strongest. Snart and Hildi circled the village once, saw nothing of interest, and resumed their northward course.

"Let's talk tactics, Hildi, so we can move fast when we get there."

"I agree. A ship in the water is a more important target than a ship being built on land."

"Yes. And if they're building ships, they'll have piles of boards and timber all over the docks. Burning a big pile of timbers would hurt them as much as burning an unfinished ship."

"Good point, Snart. What about spools of rope or piles of sailcloth?"

"Those can be hard to find in this part of the world, but they aren't as critical — a ship without sails or rigging can still row. That kind of stuff should be a back-up target, if we've burned everything important and we still have shots left. What about the docks themselves?"

"Probably not worth a shot, Snart. We build docks out of stone, with wooden tops. Stone doesn't burn, and the tops are fast and easy to replace. My stepfather really wants the ships."

Jond came into view, a village on a stony headland. It was laid out a lot like Berk, built on high cliffs, connected to its harbor by a series of wooden ramps. Snart waved Hildi in close for a last-minute conference.

"I see three longships in the water, Snart, and two or three more on land. That's not counting the fishing boats."

"They're rebuilding for war, all right. My first shot is going to be at those ramps. I want to cut off the harbor from the village so they can't send reinforcements."

"Good idea; I'll do the same. Let's make south-to-north flaming passes, and circle back over water so we don't collide."

"Fine tactics, Hildi; we'll do that. Skybaby, we're going to do some work today! Get your fires ready!" The dragon tossed her head excitedly.

With their first pass, they started two huge fires on the wooden ramps. Villagers boiled out of their houses as someone shouted the alarm. Their first focus was on the ramps, which gave the dragons time for some uninterrupted target practice.

They made three more passes before they faced any opposition at all. In that time, Hildi burned and sank all three of the longships in the water, while Snart flamed two of the three on land, and two big stacks of finished timbers as well. Smoke rose high into the air, making it hard for the villagers to see what was happening in the harbor below. The few sailors and tradesmen who had been caught in the harbor either jumped in the water or cringed on the rocky shore.

"My dragon is loving this!" Hildi shouted as they met for their fifth pass. "It's hard to hold him back."

"I'm going for that row of fishing boats," Snart shouted back. "They're all tied up together; I can probably flame three or four with one shot."

"I'm right behind you, going for the second row," Hildi called. Their dragons glided in toward their targets.

Skybaby gave him an extra-long shot this time. Four boats were nearly sliced in two and set afire, and a fifth was beginning to burn. Wizard unleashed fiery destruction on the next row of boats. As they pulled out of their dives, Snart heard twanging sounds.

"Archers! Skybaby, up! Up _fast!_" At least twenty bowmen had gathered on the cliff, and they all fired at once. Most of the volley of arrows missed, but two of them hit Skybaby's right wing. One went clean through; the other got stuck halfway. Skybaby screamed and fell away on the injured wing, which took her closer to the cliffs.

"Left, Baby! Turn left!" They veered erratically and headed out to sea. Wizard caught up with them.

"Snart, are you all right?" Hildi called anxiously.

"I'm fine. Skybaby's hit, but not bad — it must hurt, but we're in no danger. I can't say the same for those archers, though," he added. His face hardened. Hildi knew that look.

"Snart, if you try to flame those archers, you'll have to fly right into their field of fire! It's a bad idea!"

"I'm not going to flame them, Hildi, I'm going to give them a taste of their own medicine. Follow me, or don't follow me, but they hurt my dragon, and I owe them this. Baby, turn right, easy." They curved back toward the cliffs.

The archers fired again, at maximum range. While their arrows were still in the air, Skybaby lashed her tail and sent a volley of poisonous spines right back at them. Six or seven bowmen went down; some would survive, some might not. One arrow hit Skybaby in the side and bounced off harmlessly; the others missed. Hildi had not followed them; she couldn't find the last longship through all the smoke, so she used Wizard's sixth fire-shot on a large pile of folded sails instead.

"We've done enough, Snart. Let's get out of here before they get lucky again."

"We'll go south a few miles, and then I've got to land and take that arrow out of Skybaby's wing. I can tell she's in pain." Hildi nodded and followed them away from the scene of burning devastation.

They found a bare rocky beach about three miles away, and landed there. Snart broke the arrow in two, pulled it out of the wing, and spent the next five minutes smoothing the wounded skin and trying to soothe his dragon.

"I don't know much about arrows, Hildi. Can you tell anything from looking at this?"

"It's got a big, heavy head, so it's probably meant for men or big animals. What worries me is that they had archers at all. Fishing villages don't use bows and arrows; those are the weapons of an inland village. My father will need to know about this."

"I'll bring back the arrow. Are you ready, Skybaby? Can you fly okay?" The green dragon chuffed through her nose and bobbed her head; apparently, she wanted to get away from here. They bounded into the air and glided southwards at an easy pace. Supper was being served in the Mead Hall as they landed.

"You go on ahead, Hildi. I've got to stitch up these wing wounds while I've still got some daylight." Skybaby quivered and whimpered as he used the sailmaker's needle, but it had to be done. The skin of a dragon's wing is under so much tension during flight that a puncture will become a permanent hole unless sewn up. When he was done, he spent a few minutes stroking and soothing his dragon. When he turned to head for the Mead Hall, she followed him, and nothing he could say would make her stay in the clearing.

As he entered, Hildi was finishing her account of their raid. The news had clearly gone over well with the people. Germburg saw him trying to sneak quietly through the door and loudly announced, "And here's our other hero!" Cheers and applause greeted this; Snart blushed.

"Before I say anything else," he began, "I have to warn you, my dragon is right outside the door. I know you're not used to this, but she's wounded and stressed, and she doesn't want to be far away from her rider." Nagmire looked concerned when she heard that.

Snart retold the day's events as he had seen them. He knew Hildi was by far the better storyteller, but the people of Machen liked to hear about their town's victories any way they could. His account of Skybaby using her tail spines went over especially well.

"So there we have it, my friends," Germburg concluded. "Jond knows they can't get to us, and we can get to them any time we want. If they have any brains, then this is the last we'll hear from them for a _very_ long time!" Everyone shouted and cheered, and went home well content. It didn't seem to bother them that they had to walk past Skybaby to leave the building. The chief had Snart and Hildi stay behind after everyone else had gone.

"You did fine work today, both of you," he said. "Snart, I'm sorry about your dragon. If it means anything, our people are looking at wounded dragons the same way they look at wounded warriors, and they very much approve of you overcoming those wounds to shoot back at your enemies. But there are parts of this story that worry me."

"You mean the archers?" Hildi asked.

"They're part of it," nodded Germburg. "As you said, a coastal village doesn't usually use bows and arrows. But more than that, you said there were six longships finished or being built. It takes a lot of men to work a longship and sail it on a raid. They took heavy casualties during that last raid, so where are they getting the manpower to build and use these new ships?"

"Hildi suggested that the archers came from an inland village," Snart said. "Maybe they've hired another village's men as mercenaries."

"That could be," the chief agreed. "Or maybe they just bullied another village into helping them. Either way, the fact that they could take a defeat like you gave them last month, and then bounce back this quickly, worries me very much. I'm going to have to ask you to fly to Jond once a week, not to raid, but just to keep an eye on them and keep me informed."

"We can do that, sir, but that makes it even more important that we start training Nagmire. With just two of us, we're going to be spread very thin by all the demands on us."

"Do you both have to go to Berk?"

"No, father," Hildi answered. "We've always handled dragon training as a one-on-one task. One of us can stay here while the other takes Nagmire to Berk and back."

"Good," nodded Germburg. "Snart, since you're the head of your Academy, you take care of Nagmire. Hildi, I'd like you to stay home this time. I ask it this way only because Hildi has the bigger dragon. It makes people feel safer."

"We understand. I'm going to give Skybaby a day or two to mend, and then we'll move ahead with all these plans."


	42. Part 2, Chapter 5

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 5

Their plans moved themselves ahead, whether Snart was ready or not. Nagmire was filled with compassion and curiosity about Skybaby's arrow wounds. Snart showed her the stitches, which led to a long informal lesson about the doctoring of dragons. Snart wasn't comfortable in this role; he felt like he knew almost nothing. At the same time, he also realized he might be the world's greatest authority on the subject. Before his dragon had gotten over her stress and was acting normal again, Nagmire was bringing pieces of leather that she'd sewn together and comparing them to Skybaby's stitches.

"I think I know who your next dragon-doctor apprentice is going to be," Hildi said to him with a nudge of her elbow.

"We'll see," he answered absently. "It's not so easy when you're stitching up a live dragon that's in pain. Her mother says I can take her away the day after tomorrow. Personally, I hope she picks a Nadder; that will make the training a lot easier for us."

"Watch her get a Gronckle, and remind everyone of that raid from Hulm," Hildi said sourly.

Nagmire was ready long before it was time to take off for Berk. She climbed up behind Snart eagerly, and was almost bouncing up and down in the saddle. They were barely into the air when she let go of him. He glanced back; her eyes were closed, and she was holding her arms straight out like wings, feeling the wind flowing past them.

He leaned forward and made a hand signal to Skybaby. The dragon dipped downward slightly, just enough that Nagmire began to float up out of the saddle. She cried out and quickly threw her arms around Snart, who had to smile.

"Riding and training dragons is a lot of fun, Naggie, but it's also serious business. Take your mind off what you're doing, once too often, and it might be your last time. Especially if you pair off with one of the challenging dragons, like a Nightmare. Lose concentration with one of those, and they could take your arm off."

"Do you think I'll be able to ride a Monstrous Nightmare?" she asked, her bravado returning.

"Nobody can predict these things in advance. It's more a question of personality; the dragons seem to sense who they'd be a good match for."

"What kind of dragon do you think I'd be a good match for, Snart?"

"Probably a Typhoomerang, but — _ow!_ Hey, don't hit me again; nobody's allowed to do that except Hildi. Anyway, Typhoomerangs are unrideable. I couldn't guess what might make a good partner for you. It might be something really fast-moving and energetic, to match you, or it might be something slow-moving and solid, to counterbalance you. Let me tell you about the three dragons I've ridden, and you'll see how each of them was a good partner for me, but in different ways."

That story took up about half of the journey to Berk. He spent the other half telling her about the young men and women in the Berk Academy, and what to expect from them. By the time Skybaby landed on the familiar cliff next to the Academy, Snart could tell his passenger was getting restless.

She had to wait, though. The entire Academy poured out when they saw Snart and Skybaby arriving. In addition to the six actual members, there were another half-dozen students who were taking some kind of lessons that day, including Kneebiter and Tetnuss. Everyone knew Snart and was glad to see him again. Nagmire had to force herself to be patient while everyone brought everyone else up to date on the doings of their Academies. This took so much time, it was the supper hour before they were done.

"Nagmire, I'm sorry about the delay," Snart apologized. "We'll hit the upper pastures first thing in the morning."

"Can't we go right after supper?" she asked urgently.

"I guess so, but there isn't much time between then and sunset. After that, it will be too dark to see, and it usually isn't wise to approach a wild dragon in the dark. But if you're determined — and I see that you are — we can spend a little time looking at the dragons tonight." Nagmire jumped twice and clapped her hands in excitement.

Hiccup pulled Snart aside as they waited for the food. "Have you brought us a human Typhoomerang? I haven't seen so much energy since Tuffnut sat on a bee."

"Careful, she hits people for saying stuff like that. Yeah, she's a busy one. She's also very interested in being a dragon doctor, and she asks good questions and remembers the answers. I think she'll make a good rider, as long as her dragon can keep up with her."

"Watch her get a Gronckle! They'd drive each other crazy," Hiccup chuckled. "You're right about the questions and answers, though. She'll work out fine. You've got a good track record with student dragon-trainers."

After supper, Snart and Nagmire grabbed a pair of Dragonbags and tramped uphill toward the pastures. Nagmire wanted to run, but Snart restrained her. "Fast motions make wild dragons nervous. You have to be confident but not aggressive. Non-threatening is good. Just once, you're going to have to hold yourself back."

"Everyone tells me that," she complained. "Maybe _I'm_ the normal one and everybody _else_ is too slow."

"Even if that were true," Snart chuckled, "you still have to do things the dragon's way if you want to train one. They're bigger than you, stronger than you, faster than you, in the air at least, and their breath is a lot worse than yours. They make the rules. Once you make a special arrangement with one of them, then he'll listen to you and think about doing things your way."

"That one," she exclaimed suddenly, and pointed.

"You're pointing at four Gronckles in a heap," Snart said. "Which one?"

"No, not them. The one beyond them. What kind is that?"

Snart stared. "I... don't know. I've never seen anything like it." The dragon was small, about the size of Toothless, but its neck and legs were longer and its wings smaller. Its color was bright gold, with black markings. It was lying down, but its head was up, watching them intently.

Nagmire started toward it. "Hold on, Naggie," Snart cautioned. "I promised I'd tell you how to train a dragon when the time came, but I don't know what to tell you about this one. We're dealing with something totally unfamiliar here."

"So what am I supposed to do?" she demanded.

"We need to see Fishlegs," Snart decided. "He's the expert on this stuff. If anyone knows what it is and how to train it, it's Fishlegs."

"But what if it's gone by the time we get back?" Nagmire asked petulantly.

"If it's meant to be, he'll be here," was the best answer Snart could give. "If you go in with nothing but guesswork, it's more than likely you'll guess wrong, and that could cause anything from scaring him away to making him attack you. I don't think you want those things. Let's go back to the village and find Fishlegs." She turned away, very reluctantly, and followed him back downhill.

They found Fishlegs in the Academy, giving Meatlug a scrubbing with a very stiff brush. The Gronckle was purring with delight.

"Fishlegs, ol' buddy, ol' pal, you walking book, you," Snart began. "We need a favor."

"Can it wait until I'm done with Meatlug?" the big young man asked.

Nagmire said "No" and Snart said "Yes" at the same time. They looked at each other. "We've got a mystery dragon we need identified," Snart continued. "It's something I've never seen or heard of before."

That got Fishlegs' attention. "Meatlug, would it be okay if we finished brushing you tomorrow?" The big dragon rolled its eyes and rumbled at him. "Okay, five more minutes, and then I have to help my friends." Now there were two people waiting impatiently.

"Let's go to the Mead Hall," Fishlegs suggested when he was done. "The light in there is better, now that the sun has gone down. I'll get the Book of Dragons and meet you there." He kept his word; obviously his curiosity was up.

Snart and Nagmire described the dragon they had seen. Fishlegs showed them pictures of a Night Fury and a Skrill; neither of them was right. Fishlegs asked some more questions, made a face, and looked thoughtful. Finally he went to almost the back of the Book. He unstuck two pages that were stuck together and opened them.

" 'Grapple Grounder'," he read out loud. " 'Strike Class. Small, fast, and aggressive. Very powerful fire attack, but low rate of fire. No reliable sightings recently. May be legendary. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight'. Sorry, I haven't taken that part out yet. I haven't done much with the pages about dragons that aren't real."

"It's real," Nagmire said urgently. "We just saw one, up on the hill!"

"It sure looks a lot like that Grapple Grounder in the book," agreed Snart. "But the body and the tail aren't quite that long."

"Really?" Fishlegs was totally interested now. "Is it still there? Are you going back to see it in the morning?"

"We're going to train it in the morning," Nagmire answered.

"Oooh, can I come and watch? I want to take notes — it's never been done before!"

"It hasn't?" Snart was worried now. "We came to you so you could tell us how it's done."

"Nobody's ever seen one up close before. You're going to be the first ones. I'll need to watch, and draw pictures, and write everything down, so I can write 'don't try this' if you mess up real bad."

"Thanks, Fishlegs. At least we know our dragon's name now." They left the Mead Hall disconsolately.

"What do I do now?" Nagmire asked sadly.

"You have two choices," Snart said, trying to sound encouraging. "One, you can try to train a different dragon. Or two, you and I can try to guess what your Grapple Grounder likes, and train it by pure luck. And hope we don't make it mad."

Nagmire stopped and took both of Snart's hands. "Which one would _you_ do if it was you?"

Snart thought hard and carefully. "It's hard to say. I've never been in your shoes. My first two dragons just showed up on my farm one day, and Skybaby chose me, not the other way around." He took a deep breath. "But if I was really, _really_ sure that one dragon was the right one for me, and no other dragon would ever be good enough, then I'd chance it. We've never had a case where we tried to train a dragon and someone got hurt, and I _do_ have a pretty good track record with dragons and trainers.

"I'll promise to help you the best I can, Naggie. But I can't promise you success, like I could with any of the more common dragons. You may wind up having to pick another dragon anyway. And I _cannot_ promise that you'll be unharmed. We're going into the unknown, you and I. You'll be taking the risk. It's your decision. Maybe you want to sleep on it and think it over in the morning?"

"I'll think it over," she nodded slowly as they resumed walking, "but I already know what the answer will be."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Snart nodded. He gave her a quick side-hug. "Try and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day, one way or another."


	43. Part 2, Chapter 6

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 6

They were both up at the crack of dawn. All six members of the Academy silently joined them as they walked up the hill. They passed a mass of dragons feeding from what used to be the night-attack torches, now filled with fish for Berk's non-human residents. The Grapple Grounder wasn't among them.

They got to the pasture, whose dragon population had thinned out. Most of the dragons had gone down to the village to feed. They scanned the area for a gold-and-black dragon. It was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe he flew out to sea to catch his own fish." Hiccup tried to sound encouraging.

"Maybe it was just a dream," Tuffnut sneered.

"Maybe you need a punch in the face," Astrid countered.

"THERE HE IS!" Nagmire shouted, making the others cover their ears. The gold glinting in the sun was unmistakeable. The Grapple Grounder flew over their heads and landed on the far side of the pasture, about a quarter of a mile away.

"Wow," sighed Fishlegs. "Just... wow." He pulled out a notebook and began drawing furiously.

"Look at the color!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Who made up a stupid name like 'Grapple Grounder,' anyway?" Ruffnut demanded.

"Naggie, _walk, _don't run!" Snart commanded. "Don't scare him by rushing at him. We'll walk there, all of us. If he just filled his belly, he'll be happy and lazy; he won't go anywhere unless he feels threatened." They all walked across the meadow, avoiding a cluster of Gronckles and three sleepy Nadders.

When they were about a hundred feet away, Snart turned to his Academy friends. "We don't want to spook him. Please don't come any closer." Snotlout made as if to keep walking, but Hiccup gestured for him to stop.

Snart and Nagmire kept walking. The dragon had been stretched out on the ground, but now it raised its head and turned to watch them.

Forty feet away, Snart stopped. "This is as close as I get. I don't want take any chances on scaring him away. It's one on one from here on in, Naggie. Walk slowly, keep your hands open and in plain sight. Look non-threatening. Make eye contact." Nagmire obeyed. She was shaking.

When she was twenty feet away, the dragon snarled. "Stop, Naggie. Try to relax."

"That's easy for you to say!" she retorted, turning to face Snart.

They all held their breath as the dragon got to its feet. Its head swung from side to side, first looking at Nagmire, then Snart, then the other six. It swung back to focus on Naggie. "That's good," Snart said, trying to encourage her with a stream of words. "You've got his attention. Now we'll —"

It breathed fire.

A yellow bolt of light shot out of its mouth, much like one of Toothless' shots. It struck the ground just in front of Nagmire's feet. The explosion covered her with dirt and burnt grass, and the blast nearly knocked her over. She wiped the dirt out of her eyes as she turned to run away —

"_Don't... move!_" Snart's order froze her in place.

"Don't move?" Nagmire's voice was thin and terrified.

"If he wanted to hurt you at that distance, he would have. He missed on purpose. He's testing you. Stand your ground."

"Are you sure, Snart?" Panic edged her voice.

"Naggie... I don't have a single good reason, except I've got a 'feel' for dragons. If you run away from him now, you'll never get another chance; I'm sure of that. Look back at him."

Slowly, reluctantly, she obeyed him. The dragon was still staring at her. It shot another fire-bolt; again, it hit the ground just in front of her. Her knees were shaking, but she stared back at the dragon.

"That's good, Naggie, you're doing fine. Now he knows you're not afraid."

"I wish _I_ knew that!" she almost sobbed.

"My guess is he's about to get closer and check you out." He had barely finished his sentence when the dragon took a step toward Nagmire, then another. It stretched out its neck, bringing its head almost within arm's reach of the girl. She turned her head to maintain eye contact, but didn't move otherwise. Her eyes were wide, and she was close to hyperventilating.

A low rumbling rose in the creature's throat. It took another step, drew its head back, and nudged her with its nose. It wasn't a hard nudge, but she nearly fell over. Shakily, she regained her balance.

"Now might be a good time to say nice things to him, Naggie." She tried, but her voice completely failed. The dragon gave her another nudge.

"Slowly, easily, try touching his nose," Snart suggested. "If he doesn't like it, pull back fast." She reached out for the huge golden head. The Academy members a hundred feet away could see her hand shaking. Her palm made contact.

The dragon blinked, and rubbed its nose against her outstretched hand. The rumbling noise dropped in pitch. The dragon's tail, which had been tensed up, relaxed and drooped to the ground; its tip twitched back and forth. Now Snart's voice failed, and he could only whisper, "We did it. No, _you_ did it." He felt his own knees weaken, and he quickly sat down in the grass.

Nagmire stared into her dragon's eyes. "You're beautiful," she finally said, in a voice not much more than a whisper. "You're a wonderful dragon! I'm _so_ glad I didn't run away." Tears ran down her face as she stroked the nose, then worked down its cheek and along the extended neck. As she approached the body, the Grounder curled its neck around her, not tightly, but almost protectively.

A hundred feet away, Hiccup quietly said, "Fishlegs, _please_ tell me you got all that down."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'll get it all down. I was just thinking... I'm glad I didn't have to go through that with Meatlug."

"I think we're all glad of that," agreed Astrid. "That is one _very_ brave girl."

"And she just got one _very_ awesome dragon," Hiccup added.


	44. Part 2, Chapter 7

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 7

The Grapple Grounder was the talk of the town. Nearly everyone in Berk came out at some point that day to see the golden dragon. And _everyone_ was talking about the girl who stood up to dragon fire to win the dragon she wanted. Snart had gone into town on some kind of errand, so she had all the attention to herself.

Spitelout asked her, "Would you go through that again, if you knew what was coming?"

Nagmire thought for a moment. "Yes. But only once."

After a few hours of public adulation, the golden dragon got bored and took flight. There was no question he was showing off; he crisscrossed the air above the pasture so fast, he was hard to follow with the eye. "Look at him go!" gushed Nagmire as he whipped by.

"I think Toothless has got some competition," Snotlout commented.

"The Book says a Night Fury is faster, but not by much," Fishlegs corrected him. "The Grapple Grounder is a little bit stronger, and... uhh... it says they're very aggressive. I think that means 'always ready to fight any other dragon'."

"I was afraid of that," Hiccup sighed. "I think the Book needs to say 'Does not play well with others' for all the Strike Class. He and Toothless are going to have to work it out, their way." He turned aside to share some first-hand experience with Nagmire about living and riding with a Strike Class dragon. Everyone else just stared as the Grounder put on an aerial show.

Nagmire had a sudden idea. "Give me that Dragonbag, quick!" She pulled out a fish, and as her dragon swooped by again, she flung it straight up. The Grounder dipped and snatched it out of the air, and swallowed it as he gained height. Then he looped back, clearly looking for more. She lobbed another fish upward, and that one also vanished in a snap of dragon jaws.

Hiccup stared, then broke out in a huge smile. "Nagmire, you just invented a new game we can play with our dragons! And we can _all_ play it, not just the really fast ones or the really clever ones. What a great idea! It looks like Machen's Dragon Academy is going to make some real contributions to dragonlore."

By the time Snart returned, the dragon had gotten tired of flying and landed in the pasture next to Nagmire. He wasn't much interested in being petted; he stretched out in the grass and went to sleep. She met Snart at the edge of the meadow.

"Maybe it's time you had some breakfast, Naggie?" Snart asked. "Or would you rather wait a couple of hours until lunch?"

"Maybe I should eat something," she agreed. "It's been a busy morning." As they walked downhill, she looked up at him. "Snart, how can I ever thank you for what you did back there? If it wasn't for you... I wouldn't have my dragon. I might not even be alive."

"Like I said, I kind of have a 'feel' for dragons," he replied modestly. "The rest was lucky guesses."

"Then I think I feel safer with your guesses than most other people's facts," she decided. "You were my anchor. You made all the difference for me." She reached to take his hand. Startled, he pulled away.

"I don't shoot fire," she said shyly.

"Maybe not, but Hildi does," he answered. "Can we keep this on a teacher-and-student level, or a just-friends level?" Her face fell and she didn't answer. He stopped and turned to face her.

"Naggie, you and I have just been through an ordeal together, something like no one else in the world has ever been through. We literally walked through fire and came out the other side. That kind of thing bonds people together in special ways. It's like when Astrid and I were stranded on Lovecraft Island together for two weeks. We saw and heard things no one had ever seen or heard before, and we had to rely on each other to stay alive. We have a special friendship because of that. But a friendship is all it is.

"I'm not shocked or surprised that you've got some feelings for me right now. That's totally normal. And, please believe me, it's nothing personal. You're cute, you're smart, you might be the bravest person I've ever met, but —"

"The bravest _person?_ Not the bravest _girl?_" Her voice quavered.

Snart smiled. "I know a few boys, even a few dragon riders, who would have run away screaming after that first fire shot. I'm told that Hiccup did some amazingly brave things with dragons, but I wasn't there to see it." He touched her arm for a moment. "But, Naggie, my heart totally belongs to Hildi, and that's how it's going to be. You and I are going to have a special friendship because of what we did today. But a friendship is all it will ever be. You may not be able to accept that now. But I think you will, once a little time has gone by.

"Go get yourself something to eat, and then spend the day with your dragon. I'll be in the Academy if you need me for anything, and I'll probably drop by and check up on you once or twice." He sighed. "That dragon really pushed you to the limit. He scared _me_, and I was just watching."

"Got any other lucky guesses for me?" she asked.

"If he lets you go flying with him, you better hold on tight!" They both smiled. He watched her head for the Mead Hall, then turned toward the Academy.

First, he wrote a message to Hildi and sent it to her on the back of a Terrible Terror:

SUCCESS! RARE DRAGON TRAINED. WE'LL RETURN AS SOON AS SHE FLIES WITH HIM. I MISS YOU. SNART.

Then he waited until Hiccup had a free moment, and described a plan he was working on. Hiccup nodded and smiled.

"That won't be a problem here, Snart. We probably ought to do something similar ourselves. Where do you get these ideas?"

Snart didn't answer; someone else was walking down the ramp into the Academy. "Hey, Tetnuss! Good to see you again."

The young man limped up to Snart and took his hand. "I heard you were here, Snart. There's something I need to tell you." He took a deep breath and went on. "I don't think I'm cut out to be a dragon doctor. My heart just isn't in it. I'm thankful for what you've taught me, but I don't think I want any more lessons."

"Are you pulling away from your teacher again?" Snart worried.

"No, it's not like the last time. I haven't found a new master or anything. I... I want to be my own master. A life that's centered around dragons just isn't for me. I love Rockmaw; I love riding with him, and watching his goofy expressions when I give him dragon-nip..." His mind wandered away for a moment. "But I've had enough thrills and excitement for one lifetime. I really want a quiet life, making boots for people, making friends, maybe finding a girl friend some day. I don't want to change the world. That's not who I am.

"I appreciate everything you've taught me, Snart. But the best thing you ever taught me was to think for myself, and not try to be something I'm not, just because someone else wants me to. I've got to be me."

"That makes you one of my star students," Snart smiled, laying a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "But there are lots of ways to change the world, and they aren't all big or dramatic."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, all of us dragon riders wear the same boots as everybody else. They're the usual Viking issue — heavy sole, hobnails, you know the details. They aren't very comfortable to wear in the air for three hours. Have you thought about what kind of boot would be good for a dragon rider?"

"A good boot for a dragon rider? Well, it could be a little lighter than usual, for comfort, because you don't need it for protection. It should have some extra leather on the inner throat, where it rubs against dragon scales. It should be fur-lined for warmth, with double fur around the topline to keep the wind out. Yeah, I could do that. It would be fun to make something different for a change. Do you think the dragon riders would want boots like that?"

"Sign me up for the first pair," Snart said.

Tetnuss looked nonplussed. "Hey, wait a minute. I came in here to say 'I quit,' and I walk home with a brand-new design and an order for boots. What just happened here?"

Hiccup laughed. "You've just been out-Snarted. He does it to me all the time. And I like the sound of a dragon-rider's boot, too. Of course, I'll need only the right one." Tetnuss wasn't sure whether he should smile at that or not.

"Once I've got my new boot, I bet the others will all want them," Hiccup continued. "Maybe you're not going to associate with the Academy so much, but we're not done with you by a long shot."

"You guys are unbelievable," Tetnuss smiled. "I need to get back to my shop and start designing this new boot. It takes me a while to get around — you know..." He gestured at his bad leg.

"Yes, I know," Hiccup nodded. "Drop by again when you've got some finished product. Or drop by any time you feel like it." Tetnuss waved and made his way back up the ramp.

Hiccup looked at Snart. "Just once, I'd like to see you visit and _not_ change somebody's life. Just kidding! That training you did this morning with Nagmire..." He exhaled forcibly. "I'm glad it wasn't me. We might have to make that Super Dragon Master pin for you after all."

"Don't do it, Hiccup. We'll settle for a couple of battle stars."

"Battle stars? What have you been up to now?" Hiccup described the raid he and Hildi had broken up. As he spoke, Astrid and Fishlegs landed their dragons inside the Academy and joined the conversation.

"That was one battle. Hiccup, I know this part isn't going to make you happy, but..." and he told them about his raid on Jond. When he was done, Hiccup shook his head.

"It's a tough position you're in. You want to spread the good word about dragons, but when your chief says 'burn the ships,' what can you do?"

"At least you tried not to hurt anybody," added Fishlegs.

"I did... except for those archers," said Snart, looking at the floor.

"Yeah, those archers," nodded Hiccup. "If somebody hurt Toothless, I'd probably feel the berserker's rage, too. I don't know what I would have done if I was in your boots."

"You're in a different situation than we are," Astrid chimed in. "We're at peace here; you've got some powerful enemies. Our rules may not work for you."

"I wish they did," Snart confided. "I kind of envy Tetnuss. Sometimes I wish I could walk away and just make boots, or grow crops, or whatever. I love my dragon and the life of a trainer, but I've done enough fighting and killing for one lifetime already. And I don't see any end to it." No one had any reply to that.

"There's one more thing," Snart continued. "I haven't mentioned this to Hildi or Germburg, because I don't have a plan yet, but —"

"That must be a first!" chuckled Hiccup.

"But when we took that shot at the archers, I got a quick look at their village, and... I can't be positive, but it looks like they have a dragon training ring."

"Which means they know stuff about dragons," Fishlegs concluded.

"Which means they're holding some dragons prisoner," Snart corrected him.

Astrid's jaw dropped. "Snart, do you _ever_ think small? You're at war with a village more than three times your size, and you're talking about... liberating their caged dragons? Are you serious?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Like I said, I don't have a plan. But I wanted you to be aware of the situation, just so you know."

Hiccup shook his head. "When you do come up with a plan, I probably don't want to know about it. Anyway, I'll make you those battle stars, two for you and two for Hildi — that raid was your chief's orders, so I can't disallow it. I'll also have to make a Dragon Friend badge for Nagmire. And now, I'm in the mood for some lunch. Shall we?"

After lunch, Snart trooped back up to the pastures. Nagmire had brought her lunch with her, along with a full Dragonbag, and she and her dragon were enjoying a meal together. Snart strolled up to them — and stopped in his tracks as the dragon raised his head and snarled at him.

"It's okay, he's a friend!" Nagmire reassured him. The dragon was not convinced. He growled menacingly.

"I'm not a threat," Snart said softly, and turned his open hands so the dragon could see them. "I'm a friend. I'm _her_ friend. I'd just like to —"

The dragon opened his mouth, and the world blew up in front of Snart. He was knocked backwards; a wave of heat washed over him; bits of burnt grass and soil flew everywhere. He wiped the dirt out of one eye and tried to stand up straight, white-faced, knees shaking. Nagmire covered her mouth in shock. The dragon stared at him.

Snart finally found his voice. "Are you protecting her, or is this how you _always_ say 'hello'? Either way, this is going to be a new adventure in dragon training." He took a hesitant step toward them. Nothing happened. He took another, then another. When he was about five feet away, he stopped and stared back at the dragon. After what seemed like ages, the Grounder lowered his head to Snart's eye level, rumbling softly.

Very slowly, Snart reached out and touched the dragon's nose. It allowed his hand to rest there for a few seconds, then pulled its head back close to Nagmire. Snart sat down right where he was. He was still breathing hard.

"Now there are two of us brave ones," Nagmire commented softly.

"It's easier to be brave if you already know how the story ends," Snart replied. "You went down that road first. If I didn't already know he does that to test people, I would have run away so fast, even he couldn't catch me. It's a good thing I left Skybaby down by the Academy; I don't know what she would have done if she saw him flaming me."

"Still, you stood up to dragon fire. Not many people can say that."

"If that's what it takes to make me special, I'd rather live without it," he answered. "Now I know a little bit of how you felt. That's plenty for me, and it's going to be a handful for your family and friends back home." Her eyes went wide at that thought. "Let's talk about training this gorgeous creature. After all, you know as much about him as I do."

They spent the afternoon discussing possible ways to train the dragon. "What if we can't get him to stop fireballing everyone he meets?" Nagmire finally asked.

"He'll have to stay on Academy Island when you aren't riding him," was the ready reply. "There are a few people, like Hildi and your parents and the chief, who might have to pass his test because they'll be around him from time to time. But the whole village will never go for that. Especially children, who will think he's pretty and run up to pet him."

"I can't argue with that," she admitted. "Hurting a child would be a real disaster. And he's definitely pretty. So what do we do next?"

"The next step is to go flying with him. Once that happens, we can go home and start training him for real. From what I've seen, the biddable dragons will fly with their riders on the first or second day, but the strong-willed ones make them wait three or four days. I'd say this fellow was strong-willed, wouldn't you?"

"I'm not sure," Nagmire replied. "His how-de-do is pretty fierce, but after that, he seems to want to listen to me. Watch this. Look right!" The dragon swivelled his head to the right. "Look left!" He swung the other way. "Look up!" He looked straight up. "That's good," she said, and tossed him a fish.

Snart stared. "You taught him that, all by _yourself_, in your _first_ morning together?"

"I couldn't just pat him on the head all day," she retorted.

"Well, this is going to be a _really_ new adventure in dragon training," he sighed. "He's a clever one, all right. Ask him if he wants to go flying right now. Make gestures to help him understand."

She stood up. "Want to go flying with me?" she asked the dragon. Snart showed her his go-flying sign, which she copied, then flapped her arms like wings. The dragon bent his head down to look at her more closely.

"Do you —" she pointed at the dragon "— want to go flying —" she repeated the go-flying and flapping gestures "— with me?" She pointed to herself. The dragon chuffed, stood up, and lowered his neck in the middle.

"That means 'yes'," Snart exclaimed. "Climb on, and hold on tight! I'm going to get Skybaby and we'll meet you in the air!" She swung one leg over the thick neck, settled herself between two of the big neck spines, and exclaimed, "Let's go!"

The golden dragon sprang into the air, flapping hard to gain height. Nagmire lost her balance for a moment, but remembered to hold on with her legs. Snart ran for the Academy as fast as he could.

"Skybaby! We're going flying, baby! I know you'll never catch this guy once he gets moving, but let's see what you can do!" He sprang into his saddle, hooked up his flying belt, and shouted, "Up, girl!"

"Snart, what's going on?" Astrid called from inside the Academy.

"Watch for the gold flash in the sky!" he shouted back. "Naggie's going flying!" Then Skybaby ran off the cliff as a shortcut to getting airborne, and Snart had to focus on his own flight.

"Up, baby! Way up! He's taking her high so he can dive, I just know it. That's my girl — up some more!" The Grounder's short wings were built for speed, not power, and Skybaby was slowly overtaking him in a climb.

When he thought he was close enough for Nagmire to hear him, he called, "I'm coming up behind you! He's probably setting up for a power dive. Brace yourself when he pulls out!" The golden dragon heard him, and swivelled his head back to look at him. A moment later, he put his head down and dove.

Snart had never seen any dragon dive like that, except Toothless. He didn't even try to follow them; he just watched from above. The dragon took his new rider almost straight down. When it seemed like it was too late, the golden wings stretched out and the dive flattened into a high-speed pass across the length of Berk, from the pastures down to the Academy and out to sea. Then they zoomed upward in a corkscrew climb, and were back at Snart's altitude faster than he believed possible.

Nagmire was whooping and laughing uncontrollably. "_Yes!_ I've _finally_ found something that moves as fast as I do!"


	45. Part 2, Chapter 8

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 8

Only one small problem came up before Snart and Nagmire returned to Machen. As they left the Academy, the golden dragon encountered Toothless.

It started just like the fight between Toothless and Skyraider; they circled each other warily, snarling and growling. But this time, each waited for the other to fire the first shot, so nobody breathed any fire at all. After a minute, Nagmire's dragon gave up and stalked away, leaving Toothless feeling like the victor. The Night Fury let out one last honking roar, then stomped down into the Academy for a nap.

Just before they left, Snart went back into town, and returned with Gobber and the fruits of his visit the day before: a brand-new saddle and riding belt, trimmed in yellow to match a gold dragon. "You're going to need this more than most of us," Snart explained. It took her a few minutes to persuade the dragon to wear the saddle. Gobber had taken Snart's estimates of the dragon's neck proportions, and made an almost-perfect fit.

"Stay in touch, Snart!" "Nagmire, congratulations on your dragon!" called the Berk trainers as the Machen trainers took off. They set a northerly course.

"Usually, when I've just helped someone train a dragon, I teach them some basic commands on the way home," Snart called. "But you've already taught your dragon those commands. And I can see that he's getting itchy, going slow enough to keep pace with Skybaby and me. So I'll teach you some aerobatics."

"Some what?"

"Acrobat tricks in the air. They're useful if you're trying to outfly another dragon, and they're a lot of fun for dragon and rider, too. We'll start with a simple loop."

Two hours later, as they approached Machen, Snart was running out of ideas. That Grapple Grounder was smart! Nagmire was no slouch, either. Every move he could think of, they learned on the first attempt, or the second in a few cases. They were literally flying circles around him. But that was what he wanted — it kept them busy and in his general vicinity, instead of racing off on their own, at a speed his dragon could never match.

"Naggie, let me land first and warn them about your dragon's way of saying 'hello.' Circle the town until I wave you in. Then land, and don't let anyone get close enough that he'll want to flame the ground they walk on. We're going to have to be careful." She nodded and went into a series of circles within circles as Skybaby glided toward the clearing.

Hildi was the first to greet them, with a hug that lasted a little longer than Snart expected (not that he was complaining). Then she looked up and stared. "Is that a _gold_ dragon?"

"Yes, it's a Grapple Grounder, the first one that any of us has ever seen. It's fast, it's smart, and it has a really bad habit." He quickly described how the training had gone.

"Well, I'm glad it didn't shoot any fire at _you,_" Hildi said with relief.

"He did, later that morning." Her mouth dropped open. He continued, "We think he's going to test everyone who comes close, and I don't have to tell you what a problem that's going to be. We're going to try and break him of his little habit, but we may have to keep him on Academy Island."

"Does that mean he'll do it to me, too? We all have to be able to approach each other's dragons now and then."

"That's probably what it means. Germburg and Rainbit, too, because they come down to the clearing so often. The good news is, he only tests you once. I'm going to wave her in." He stepped away from Skybaby and waved both his arms over his head. The Grounder quickly folded his wings, dove almost vertically, pulled out at the last moment, and landed lightly in the clearing.

Nagmire jumped off her dragon and ran over to Hildi, who was keeping a respectful distance. The new trainer was bubbling over with excitement, and Hildi was hard-put to keep up with the stream of words that poured out of her. Within a few minutes, Nagmire's parents rushed into the clearing, closely followed by Rainbit and Germburg. Naggie, of course, ran to her father and mother, while the chief and his wife quickly walked to greet Snart.

"Nothing against you and Hildi and your choice of dragons," Germburg began, "but _that_ is an impressive-looking dragon!"

"I think we've got the best-looking bunch of dragons in the land," added Rainbit.

"Any idea if he can fight?" the chief wanted to know.

"If he treats his enemies anything like he treats his friends, then the answer is 'yes'," Snart replied. He quickly explained the problem. Germburg's eyes narrowed. He took a step toward the golden dragon.

"Sir, if you take two more steps, he'll probably let you have it," Snart warned him.

"Snart, being the chief means you don't put your people in danger unless you're willing to go there yourself," Germburg growled. "And as chief, I have to be able to go anywhere in my village, at any time, without fear. So I'm going to get this over with. Right now."

"Not without me, you don't," Rainbit exclaimed. She quickly stood next to her husband. "If Snart and Nagmire have done it, then I ought to do it as well."

"Ladies, gentlemen, if I could suggest something?" Snart cut in. "I can't be sure of this — we're not sure of anything with this dragon — but if all of you approach him together, I think he'll only fireball one or two of you, and you can all get it over with at once."

Hildi nodded and stood next to her mother. Nagmire's parents were understandably reluctant, but she half-urged, half-pushed them to stand with the other three. Side by side, they slowly walked toward the golden dragon.

The fireball hit in front of Hildi and Rainbit. Both were strong, fearless women, and both would have turned and run if it weren't for the moral support of the others beside them. "Stop, catch your breath, take another step when you're all ready," Snart coached them. Hildi recognized his tone; he had shifted to dragon-training mode. That gave her confidence. "Breathe deep, make eye contact with him, and don't be afraid; he's not going to hurt you." They took another step.

Germburg caught the brunt of the second fireball, although Rainbit's clothes were freshly spattered with grass and dirt. He recovered more quickly, and they took another step. And another. And another.

"Slow and easy, take turns touching his nose," Snart called to them. "As soon as he lets you do that, you'll be his friend for life, and he'll never do this to you again." Hildi was the first to reach for him, but he swung his head away toward Germburg. The chief hesitantly stretched out his hand and stroked the golden nose. Rainbit did the same, and so did the other three as the dragon turned to examine each of them in turn.

"He's a beautiful animal, Naggie," her mother said. "What's his name?"

"Uhhh... Gullvinge," Nagmire answered after a moment.

" 'Gold Wing.' Okay, it fits him," nodded Hildi.

Germburg strode back to where Snart was standing. "Thank you for the guidance, young man. You're very good at what you do."

"Snart, did we just train a dragon?" Rainbit suddenly asked.

"Yes, you did, _Frue_," Snart smiled. "He's still Naggie's special friend, but you just did everything she did. Except she did it alone."

"I wasn't alone! You were there with me, just like you did here," Nagmire objected.

Now Naggie's parents approached Snart. "Thank you for taking good care of our girl," the mother exclaimed. "And for finding such a lovely dragon for her!"

"_And_ for that idea about all of us making friends with it at once," her father added. "You saved us both from a dose of dragon fire, and I'm not sure I would have taken it as well as the rest of you."

Snart clasped the man's hand. "Sir, it's a scary thing to go through, no matter who you are. Anyone who says differently is either lying or brainless. Just walking up to a dragon takes more courage than a lot of people have. I'm glad it went well for you. And I want you to know, your daughter is probably the bravest of all of us." Nagmire glowed and blushed at the same time.

"It looks like your trip was a success, Snart," Germburg nodded; he almost looked happy. "What happens next?"

"Now that we have a student to go with our teachers, we'll finally start having daily Academy meetings," Snart began. "We'll be teaching Nagmire about patrolling for raiders, and helping sailors in distress, and everything else we know. The idea is to make her a full partner in the Academy, sooner rather than later. Once she and her dragon are self-sufficient, we'll see about finding a fourth rider."

"Good," said Germburg, and walked away.

"Did you say, a _full_ partner in the Academy?" Nagmire asked, surprised.

"Of course," Hildi answered. "As of now, you make your living in the village by being a dragon trainer, just like Snart and me. The day will come when you win a Dragon Rider badge like mine, and then you'll be ready to teach your own students how to train dragons." Nagmire was speechless for a moment.

"If you thought you were just adding a big scaly friend to your life, please reconsider," Snart added. "Your life has totally changed now. You're part of your tribe's first line of defense against raiders from the north, among other things. You just became a very important and powerful person. The Academy's job is to make sure you know how to use that power." He paused; Nagmire was still speechless. "We do have some fun flying around now and then. But our chief wants something in return for all the food we and our dragons eat, and we do our best to give him good value."

"You're going to be a big help to us, Naggie," Hildi went on. "As people get more used to having dragons and riders around, they find more and more ways for us to be useful. Just the two of us were starting to get tired."

"And Gullvinge is going to be a huge help," Snart continued. "He's fast, he can cover a lot of territory in a hurry, so that makes him an excellent patroller. And he's a fast learner, too, so it won't take you long to get up to speed. Our first real Academy meeting will be tomorrow morning after breakfast. We'll break when the fishing fleet comes in, because that's when our dragons eat. Then we'll have our day's work; for you, that will mean flying around with either Hildi or me, and learning the local landmarks from the air. You've got the rest of today off. Fly around, or go into the village, or whatever you want to do. As long as the dragon stays out of the village!"

Nagmire finally found her voice. "Training him on _that_ problem is going to be my main assignment, right?"

"If you need someone brave to practice on, I know just the young man for the job," Snart smiled. Hildi caught his drift, and she smiled, too.


	46. Part 2, Chapter 9

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 9

"Welcome to our first real Academy meeting," Snart began, and stopped. He looked blankly at the two young women in front of him.

"Snart?" Hildi sounded concerned.

"It just hit me — I'm standing in Hiccup's place," he explained. "Everything Machen does with dragons has to go through me. I have to make the decisions, and I get the blame if I decide wrong. Suddenly it's... kind of scary."

"But you've been doing that ever since you got here," Hildi tried to reassure him. "You've made plenty of decisions, and most of them have been good ones."

"Maybe so, but most of that was reacting to what was happening around me," he replied. "Now we have a real Dragon Training Academy, and we need to start planning, not just reacting. I see you two sitting here, looking up at me, expecting me to know all the right answers, and all of a sudden, it scares the daylights out of me."

"We don't expect you to be perfect," Hildi tried again. "We're all new at this. Even Hiccup is new at this, when you think about it. Just do your best, and take your usual good guesses, and we'll all be fine. I'm sure of it."

"Okay." Snart took a deep breath. "We'll start with some simple recognition stuff. If you saw a dragon with four legs, four wings, and two fins on the end of its tail, what kind of dragon is that?"

"Night Fury!" both women said. "Get down!" Hildi added mischievously.

"Okay, how about this one? What if you saw a dragon with four heads; what kind is that?"

"It's a Great Gray Irrelevant," Nagmire snapped. "Why do I need to know this stuff? Shouldn't I be focusing on my own dragon?"

"Good question," Snart answered. "Here are some good reasons why you need to know this stuff.

"One: you may have to work with someone else's dragon some day. And if that happens, you'll want to know more about it than just saying, 'Nice dragon, nice dragon.'

"Two: if we're flying into battle, you'll definitely want to know the abilities and the weaknesses of the dragons around you, not just your own.

"Three: you are _going_ to encounter a wild dragon someday, and you'll need to train it on the fly. You've got to know all the common dragons, and as many rare ones as you can manage. Especially if you're going to teach someone else how to train dragons.

"Four: we are the one and only source of facts about dragons for the rest of our village. If you can't even answer the most basic questions about them, people won't have much confidence in you."

"Five," Hildi chimed in. "We advise our chief about dragons and what they can and can't do. We have to give him good advice, or he's liable to tell us to do something unwise or dangerous. So we have to know our stuff."

"And six," Snart finished, "one of the conditions for getting your Dragon Rider badge is that you know this stuff, inside and out." He paused. "Naggie, I know it's hard for you to sit still. I'm not doing this to torture you. I plan to spend a lot less time on classroom drills than Hiccup does in the Berk Academy. But there really _are_ good reasons for this stuff. I'm not wasting your time here; I'm setting you up to be a dragon rider whom everyone in the village trusts and looks up to. Bear with me a little while longer. When the fishing boats come in, we'll quit and feed our dragons, and then Hildi will go out flying with you."

Nagmire sighed. "Okay. What was the question?" As Snart repeated the question, Naggie glanced out the cave mouth to see if the fishing fleet was in yet.

When they finally arrived, two hours later, the riders met them at the docks. Each rider pushed a small two-wheeled cart, which they filled with second-rate fish right off the boats. Then they pushed the carts back to the clearing and dumped the fish in front of their dragons, who ate heartily.

"Where should Naggie and I go for our first flight?" Hildi asked.

"Take her up to Elden and back. Make sure she sees the land approaches to Machen, too. No aerobatics until you're sure she knows the way. I'm going down to Norpi, to see how Mallie and Wartfoot are doing. I should be back before supper, and you should get back before I do."

"Have fun, Snart! Enjoy your flight!" He waited until Skybaby was done eating, then climbed aboard, and they took off.

They flew lazily at high altitude. Skybaby was rarely energetic right after she ate, and Snart felt an overwhelming need to go slow after the events of the past three days. Rather than fly a straight route to Norpi, they followed the trails and paths. There was no foot traffic except for a shepherd driving his sheep somewhere. He passed the fork in the road that led to Hulm, and wondered if that unhappy village would ever join the growing circle of villages that welcomed dragons.

As he approached Norpi, he could see the two dragons in the sky above it. There was no mistaking the huge scarlet Nightmare or the dark-gray Nadder. It looked like they were playing a game of getting on each other's tails. The smaller, more nimble Nadder won every time, but the red Nightmare made herself an elusive target; Snart had to admire the way Mallie handled her dragon.

Suddenly they broke off their game and flew towards him. He descended to their level and banked so they could see what kind of dragon Skybaby was, and what color. They caught up with him quickly.

"Snart! We weren't expecting you!" Wartfoot shouted.

"This is a surprise visit," he called back.

"We like that kind of surprise," Mallie added. "Follow us in." They spiraled down and landed in a recently-cleared patch of forest just outside the town. Mallie opened the door of a log shed and came out with some mutton jerky and water. They sat on the ground, with their dragons in a circle around them.

"Astrid told us you'd moved to Machen," Wartfoot began. "When she took over training us, we figured we wouldn't see you again."

"I'm sure she's done good work with you, hasn't she?" Snart asked.

"No complaints. We just missed you, that's all. You brought us our dragons, you brought us together, and you may have brought about an end to the raiding against Hulm."

"I may have? How did I do that?"

"The last time you were here, we had just fought off a Hulm raid and killed their chief, Kallous. We later heard that almost nobody in Hulm missed him, but that's beside the point. That little talk you gave me about ending the fighting was rolling around in my head, and when I heard that we'd evened the score by killing Kallous, I tried to put your thinking into practice.

"Chief Hogbolt called a meeting that night, and he won a majority to his side, which meant we'd go raiding. But I told them I'd just learned to ride Sterk, and I wasn't going to take a brand-new dragon into battle, especially when he didn't always do what I told him to do. I'd march with them on land if that's what the village wanted, but no dragon."

"They didn't even ask about me and Rødskjønnhet," Mallie added. "They like it when we protect our town, but women don't go on raids."

Wartfoot continued, "So when they realized they wouldn't have a dragon with them, the raid just never quite happened. Everyone kind of wandered back to their houses, and that was that. They tried again two nights later. I told them I'd never flown Sterk at night, which was true. Again, the raid never got moving once they found out they'd be doing it without a dragon."

"That's remarkable," Snart commented. "Norpi used to outnumber Hulm by two to one or more. Now you won't budge unless you've got a dragon at your backs?"

"How do you know so much about Hulm?" Mallie asked.

"I used to live there, before I moved to Berk." Snart suddenly realized he might have said too much.

Wartfoot's eyes went hard. "Were you the one on the blue dragon, the first one that raided us?"

After a long pause, Snart nodded. "Yes. Norpi raided us. They sent scouts to raid my farm. I defended myself, then I defended my town, then I helped my town hit back. When I went on that raid, all I did was scare people; I didn't hurt a soul, and I took no plunder."

"You hurt _somebody_ when we raided Hulm," Mallie accused him. "Two men died in that raid aside from our chief. One of them was a childhood friend of mine. Our men said they were killed by a dragon."

"My dragon killed two men who attacked him from behind," Snart admitted. "It was self-defense, kill or be killed."

"From behind?" Wartfoot queried.

"My dragon at that time, Skydancer, was a Nadder, just like Skybaby and Sterk. He threw his tail spines when two men charged up behind him out of the undergrowth."

Wartfoot and Mallie exchanged glances. Finally, Wartfoot looked Snart in the eye. "There are rules in wars and raids that we try to follow. One of them is that you don't stab people in the back unless there's no other way to fight them. If you're telling us the truth, and I think you are, then we can't curse you for protecting yourself. But if I were you, I'd _never_ mention this in front of Hogbolt or the rest of the village."

"Deal," nodded Snart. "But let's get back to your raiding."

"It's like everyone lost interest," Wartfoot answered. "After those first two attempts, no one has tried to get a raid going. I don't know what would happen if they did; I'm out of excuses for leaving Sterk home. But for now, things are peaceful in Norpi. We've brought in our crops, we've done some good hunting, and it looks like we'll make it through the winter just fine."

"That's good news. How does the town feel about their dragons and riders?"

Mallie made a disgusted face. "They're glad to know we guard them while they sleep, but they'd just as soon not see us while they're awake."

"We're not really outcasts," Wartfoot added. "But they just aren't comfortable around us, and they let us know it in a hundred little ways. We made this clearing ourselves, with the help of a couple of big, strong dragons, so we'd have a place to land and rest without making problems."

"They won't even share their food with the dragons," Mallie interjected. "We have to take them to Lake Norpi to fish every day. When the lake freezes, we'll have to fly over Hulm to the seashore."

"I'd suggest making a deal with Berk, except they're a little short on fish," Snart offered. "If dealing with Hulm worries you, you can always come up to Machen. It's farther away, but the people aren't so hostile and there's plenty of dragon food in the sea."

"We might do that one of these days," Wartfoot growled. "It really burns me, the way they turned on us, even our own families. Her parents have changed their minds about me as a son-in-law, and both my father and my uncle told me I should find a girl who keeps her feet on the ground." That brought silence for a few seconds.

"If you need a chief to perform the ceremony, I know I can talk Germburg into doing it for you," Snart finally said. "He's not a friend of dragons himself, but he's convinced of how useful they can be, and he's treating us more like partners than minions now. He supports us, and he'd support you two for an afternoon."

"That's a kind thought, but we need to work it out with our own people, somehow," Mallie replied. "I love my fiancée, but I love the rest of my family, too. I'd like to get everybody back together, like they were when I first came to town with Rødskjønnhet."

"Same here," Wartfoot agreed. "Doing a loop around our problems won't solve them. I don't see any solution, but I like to think there _is_ one, if we can just find it."

Snart pondered. "Nothing comes to mind. I think I've used up my quota of everybody-happy solutions for the year. I kind of feel bad for putting you in this situation."

They both objected to that. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't even be engaged, and we wouldn't have our dragons," Mallie protested.

"And our village would still be Hulm's plaything," Wartfoot added. "Don't you dare take the blame for Norpi's narrow-mindedness. Everything you did was good; they're the ones who made a mess out of it."

"Okay, change of subject again. How is your dragon training coming?"

"We're still loving it, and so are the dragons," Mallie answered. "Astrid is a good teacher; she's patient, and she knows her Nadders, which is good for Wartfoot. I asked if they could send us a Nightmare expert some time, and she said their Nightmare expert wasn't a very good teacher, and we'd be better off staying with her."

"Berk's Nightmare expert would be Snotlout, the son of our second-in-command," Snart mused, "and it's true that he's not much of a teacher. When he gets a little older, he may settle down and become useful, but right now, he's so hot-headed, I'm surprised he doesn't breathe fire."

"Got it," nodded Wartfoot. "Anyway, Astrid says we're both almost qualified for our Dragon Rider badges. All we have to do is something noteworthy with our dragons. We're not quite sure what that means."

"It means doing something that you couldn't have done without a dragon," Snart explained. "The two things we usually look for in the Academies are either to break up a raid on your town, or to help sailors in distress. Something like that."

"Didn't Mallie break up a raid?" Wartfoot asked.

"Rødskjønnhet and I helped break up a raid, yes," Mallie agreed. "But I don't want to outrank my future husband. I won't take my Rider pin until you've earned yours. That's final, Wartfoot!"

"Is there anything I can do for you, in terms of your dragons and training?" They shook their heads. "Then I probably ought to get home before I lose the sun. I'm glad I came, and I'm sorry your village didn't stay dragon-friendly."

"We may fly up to Machen and visit some day," Mallie suggested.

"You'll get a warm welcome," Snart answered as he climbed into Skybaby's saddle. "We'd love to see you. I'll stay in touch. Skybaby, up!" They took the direct route home so Snart could keep his promise to be home before supper.


	47. Part 2, Chapter 10

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 10

When he got home, Hildi had some interesting news. "We overflew Elden, and all the boats were gone."

"That's odd for the middle of the afternoon," Snart nodded. "Did you tell Germburg?"

"Do you think it's important?" Nagmire asked.

"It might be," he replied. "He's counting on us to be his eyes. We should tell him everything we see, and let _him_ decide if it's important."

"If what's important?" Germburg asked as he walked up behind them.

Hildi described what she and Nagmire had seen that afternoon. The chief looked away thoughtfully for a moment.

"I'd like you to fly up there again tomorrow, and if the boats are gone, fly all the way to Jond and look for them there. Look for this on their shields." He carved a rune into the wooden table with his seax. "That's Elden's symbol. If Elden is loaning their boats to Jond, that's something I want to know about."

"We'll do it, sir," Snart replied. "I'll take Nagmire with me; it'll be good training."

After the chief left, Snart brought Hildi and Nagmire up to date on what he'd learned at Norpi. "That's discouraging," Hildi commented.

They continued this discussion the next morning in the Academy. "It's like the world is dividing into two groups of people, the dragon friends and the not-dragon friends," Snart lamented. "Everybody wants protection, but dragons are good for so much more than that!"

"Will the two groups fight?" Nagmire asked anxiously. That made Snart think for a moment.

"I don't know," he finally said. "If a fight does happen, the ones who like dragons won't start it. After all, the whole point of our Academies is to help different kinds of creatures get along. We learn to get along with dragons, and sometimes that helps people get along with each other, too. We'll see the evidence of that tomorrow, when the trading fleet from Berk arrives.

"But some people are afraid of things they don't understand, and they turn that fear into hate. It's hard to imagine people attacking dragons, and it's even harder to imagine people attacking a village just because dragons are there. But people do stupid things sometimes. I can't swear it'll never happen."

"I hope it doesn't," Nagmire said fervently. Hildi nodded her agreement.

"Likewise," he agreed. "We have no control over it today, but there are some things we _do_ control. So this morning, we'll look at some of the ways we can control a dragon if we need to. Lesson One: dragon-nip." Nagmire had no trouble paying attention to this lesson. They each tried it on their own dragons, and Nagmire found that her Grapple Grounder was just like any other dragon in that regard. He was also susceptible to the chin-rub trick. Snart finished with a warning about eels, but he didn't demonstrate. They flew back to the clearing as the fishing boats pulled in.

As the dragons ate, Snart sent Nagmire to the Mead Hall for some fish rolls. "We'll eat lunch in the air," he explained. "I want to leave as soon as the dragons are ready. It will be a long flight, and I'd like to enjoy a normal supper, just for a change."

"Is there some reason I'm not going on this trip?" Hildi asked.

"No, I just figured two was enough. If you want to go, tell the chief his dragons will all be gone for the rest of the day, and grab some lunch for yourself on the way back."

The flight to Elden was uneventful, except for Gullvinge's endless barrel-rolls, sideslips, and loops. Hildi flew close to Snart and said, "Just _watching_ those two makes me tired."

When they overflew Elden, they found an empty harbor. There were no boats bigger than a dinghy. "Okay, troops, onward to Jond," Snart called. "Remember, look but don't touch."

"You mean we can't flame anything?" Nagmire asked querulously.

"Until we come up with a solution to those archers, we're not taking any chances," Snart said firmly.

"But these are _dragons_ we're riding!" she countered. "Those scales are _hard_! If we keep our distance, an arrow will just bounce off."

"Unless it hits a wing," Snart corrected her.

"Or an eye," Hildi added.

"Or _you_," he finished. "We are absolutely staying far out of arrow range until I say otherwise." Nagmire didn't answer.

They approached Jond's harbor from high altitude. "I can see a bunch of fishing boats, but we'll never identify their shields from this height," Hildi called.

"Just the fact that they have boats at all is suspicious," Snart called back. "We sank a bunch of them less than a week ago."

Nagmire pointed toward the village. "I think they see us." People were running down the ramps from the village to the harbor.

"We can go a little lower and still be safe," Snart decided. "There must be some way to see what's on those boat shields."

"Consider it done," Nagmire answered.

"NO!" shouted Snart, but Gullvinge had already folded his wings for a power dive. Snart and Hildi watched, helpless, as the golden dragon plunged earthward.

Jond's archers had formed up in groups along the docks, instead of concentrating in one big force that could be mowed down by one salvo of Nadder spines. Each small group fired at the Grounder in turn, and all missed badly — the dragon was moving far too fast. He swooped low across the harbor, pulled up at an angle, and turned back for another pass. Future fliers would call this a half Cuban-Eight. The archers called it something a lot more colorful when the dragon spat fire.

The first shot hit the docks just in front of the nearest band of bowmen, and sent them flying through the air to splash into the chill waters of the harbor. More arrows arched upward, and all flew far behind the speeding dragon. Another half-eight, another fiery pass, and another group of archers had the dock blasted out from under their feet. The rest broke and ran for cover. With the opposition routed, Nagmire slowed down to examine the fishing boats before rejoining Snart and Hildi above.

"Yes, most of those ships are from Elden," she reported. "No question about it."

Snart was so furious, he didn't dare speak to Nagmire for fear of losing his cool completely. "Hildi, we're going home. Skybaby, turn right. Home, girl." Nagmire tried to answer him, but Hildi waved her away. He seethed in silence for the rest of the flight.

When they landed on Academy Island, Nagmire rushed over to Snart before he had a chance to dismount. "I don't know what you're so mad about. Nothing bad happened, and I found out what the chief wanted to know, and _you_ fought back when they shot at _you_, and —"

"STOP! Just... stop," Snart ordered as he slid to the ground. "Why can you not follow the simplest orders? When I tell you to do something, or to _not_ do something, I have very good reasons for it. The fact that you have an awesome dragon does not make you all-knowing or all-powerful!"

"But I did what you wanted!" she protested.

"What I wanted... what I want is that the riders and dragons of this Academy become useful, valuable, and appreciated members of our village. What I do _not_ want is brand-new riders on valuable dragons charging into a useless battle all by themselves and getting _killed!_"

"But nothing bad happened!"

"One lucky arrow is all it takes," Hildi added. "Just one, and you and your dragon are in the water, in the enemy's back yard, a long way from home."

"I might have known you'd take his side," Nagmire sulked.

"Naggie, we're all on the same side!" Hildi shot back. "But a team of oxen can't pull a load if they're going in different directions. We all have to work as a team. Snart calls the shots, because he's the most experienced and because the chief put him in charge. We follow him. That's how it works."

"And if I think he's wrong? What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't want to go down that road," Snart said; his anger was starting to cool down. "The worst thing I could do would be to put you out of the Academy. You wouldn't be welcome here, the village is afraid of your dragon, and the fishing boats would no longer give you fish. Think about that for a second." She thought about it. She didn't like it.

"Naggie, what you did back there was brave, but it wasn't wise. You and your dragon are both irreplaceable. You're worth a lot more to me than a little information about who owns which fishing boat. Seeing you attack like that has given me some ideas, and you'll get your chance to show what you and Gullvinge can do. I promise. But this wasn't the time to be a hero."

"Okay, then what would you have done in my place?" she challenged him.

"I would have come down as low as I could without endangering myself or my dragon. I would have tried as hard as I could to identify those boats, and if I couldn't do it without serious risk, then I'd break off and tell Germburg I did my best."

"He didn't send us on a do-or-die mission," Hildi added. "When the village is under attack, that's the time to risk it all. Not when we're just checking up on the neighbors."

"As it is," Snart went on, "now they know we have a Grapple Grounder, and they'll try to invent a defense against you, or even a counter-attack. They know their tactic of small groups of archers won't work against you, so they'll try something next time that might work better. I think you told _them_ more about _us_ than you told _us_ about _them_."

Nagmire hung her head. "I never thought of that."

"Of course you didn't. We don't expect a brand-new rider to know everything. That's why we're training you and teaching you." He reached out and gently lifted her chin up until he could look her in the eye. "Naggie, promise me you'll never do anything like this again."

"I feel so stupid," she murmured.

"You're not stupid. You're just inexperienced. There's a lot you need to learn, and you can't get it all in the classroom. If you learn something from this, I'll call it a good day, and we won't mention it again. Deal?"

Nagmire took a deep breath. "Deal."

"Great. Fly over to the island and tell the chief what we saw. I'll be over in a few minutes."

Her face lit up to its customary glow. "Yeah! Let's go, Gullvinge! Snart... can we go the long way?"

"Just land before supper, okay?" He smiled and shook his head as she zoomed skyward.

"I would have torn her head off," Hildi said with conviction.

He sat down on the stony plateau, leaning back against Skybaby. "Now I know how Hiccup felt when he was trying to keep _me_ under control," he sighed.

"You learned a lot from him," she observed.

"More than I realized. Stuff like patience, and forgiveness, and how tearing people's heads off usually doesn't help them learn."

Hildi sat down next to him. "Do you think she'll learn, Snart?"

"I think she'll remember today. I also think she'll find new and creative ways to push me to the limit. I always seem to get the strong-willed ones." They smiled at each other, and held hands for a few minutes in silence. Then it was time to fly back to the village for supper.

**o**

A/N

_Seax_ — a Viking knife


	48. Part 2, Chapter 11

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 11

"Explain to me again why we're lost at sea," Nagmire shouted.

"It's part of your Sea Dragon training," Snart called back. "I'm checking your sense of direction in a place where there aren't any landmarks."

"My sense of direction? Okay. That way is 'down,' and this way is 'up.' How'd I do?" Snart did a facepalm. "Seriously, Snart, is it possible to know which way you're going after you've been going around in circles like this?"

"A few dragon trainers can tell a direction, no matter what," Snart explained. "Others keep track of which way the wind is blowing, and that helps them navigate over water. Some can find their way by the sun. And some never have a clue. I have the most confidence in that last group, because they have to trust their dragons' sense of direction, and a dragon can always take you to the nearest land."

"How do they do that?"

"No one knows. But if you ask your dragon to find land, and he understands what you want, he'll take the shortest route to terra firma every time. Now, if _you_ ever want to set foot on land again, which way will you go?"

"Hold on a second." Gullvinge stretched his wings out to the full, and turned until he was headed straight into the wind. "The wind is blowing this way, and our winds almost always set from west to east. So our land is to the east, which would be... that way."

"That's very good, Naggie. But what if the winds are out of the northwest or southwest?"

"Then I'll be a few points off, but I'll still find land. It'll just take longer to get home."

"All right, let's put your theory to the test. Lead us home."

For a moment, she hesitated. Then she turned Gullvinge around until he was facing straight away from the wind, and flapped away. Snart placed Skybaby on her right side, a few yards distant. It was a clear, sunny day; he could see their shadows on the sea half a mile below them.

"Naggie, pretend we're searching for a lost fishing boat, and I'm in command. How far away should you be from me?"

"As far away as I can get and still see you if you make the 'come closer' hand signal," she answered.

"Show me." The golden dragon banked slightly and coasted away until he was about two hundred yards away. Even at that distance, he was still shining so brightly in the sun, it was sometimes hard to look at him.

They cruised like that for a few minutes. Then Snart made the "come closer" signal. Immediately, Gullvinge closed the range until they were within shouting distance again.

"Nicely done. Did you respond so quickly because you know to keep an eye on your leader, or because you knew I was going to test you?"

"Yes," she answered, without a trace of embarrassment.

"Fair enough. Now slide off to the right."

"Does the direction matter?" Nagmire asked doubtfully.

"It does to some people. Hildi has a strong right-handed bias; sometimes she forgets to look to her left. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as she and everyone she flies with is aware of it. So let's see you slide off to the right."

The golden Grounder glided away easily. They reached the right distance, and kept on going. Snart made the "come in" signal; they ignored it. He was just starting to get aggravated when she came back and made her own "come in" signal.

"Okay, I'll humor you," he said out loud. "Skybaby, right. Meet Gullvinge." She banked, flapped a few times, and caught up with Nagmire's dragon easily.

"Snart, look down there! There's a ship!"

"One ship by itself, way out here? That's odd." He looked. Sure enough, far below them, a ship was bobbing on the waves like a tiny cork. "Let's check it out." Skybaby spiralled gracefully down, while Gullvinge performed his usual power dive, so he and Nagmire got there first.

It was a longship, not a cargo ship or a fishing boat, but a medium-sized _snekkja_. Its sail was furled neatly. And it was abandoned.

"Can I land on it, Snart?"

"We don't know how long it's been out here. If the wood is rotten, you might fall through the boards and get stuck. Let's get back home, and get some advice from some real sailors."

"What if we can't find it again?"

"Consider this an extended test of your sense of direction. Take us home, please." Again they set a course. An hour later, they sighted land.

"Now, where are we, Naggie?"

"We're halfway between Machen and Berk. I'd know that rock formation anywhere. North we go!" They were home in about an hour. Gullvinge was showing signs of fatigue; he was built for speed, not endurance.

Germburg was very interested in their report. "This village hasn't had a longship since my predecessor built three of them, and lost them all in that final raid. Building one requires a lot more wood than a fishing boat, and we haven't really needed one. But if luck has dropped one into our laps, we'd be fools not to bring it in. Can your dragons tow it, Snart?"

"It's far heavier than any of our dragons, sir. We'd exhaust ourselves trying. My idea was for each of us to carry a sailor out to it, and land them on the deck so they can sail it home."

"A crew of three? That's a bit sparse for a _snekkja_; a full crew would be around forty, and I wouldn't want to sail it with any less than ten or twelve."

"Then we could drop them off to get the ship ready, and make another trip with three more sailors. Or, if you prefer, you can send out a ship with a double crew, and we can guide them to the longship."

"I like that last idea best," the chief nodded. "We don't know why that ship lost its crew. If there's something wrong with it, I want our sailors back safely."

"Then send out your ship, sir, and the dragons will meet it in the morning and help them find the _snekkja_."

"They'll leave within the hour," Germburg nodded. "If this works, it will really be a feather in your Academy's cap."

"We'll celebrate when the ship is tied up to our docks, sir. Now, I've got to get everyone briefed on this plan. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for us." He left for the clearing, where Skybaby was waiting to take him to the Academy.

"How are we going to do this?" Hildi asked.

"We're going to fly out in search formation and find our own ship. Then we'll search for the longship, fly back and find our ship, correct their navigation, and repeat until they sight the longship themselves."

"That's a lot of flying back and forth," Nagmire observed.

"It is. If your dragon gets tired, you can fly home and rest. Our Nadders can soar forever. But you'll get full credit for helping make it happen, don't worry. After all, you're the one who found the longship in the first place."

"I'm not worried about getting credit," Nagmire replied. "I'm worried about getting wet."

"That will be a measure of how well you know your dragon," Snart said. "Any other questions? Okay, let's go home and get some sleep."

The next day, the three dragons headed east. They flew into the wind, so they travelled slowly but without much effort. They found their own ship after about an hour. The crew had to row, but because the ship carried a double crew, they could take turns rowing to avoid exhaustion.

"Naggie, fly down and wave at them. Once they wave back, rejoin us and we'll find that longship." Nagmire was glad for something different to do (which was Snart's motive in giving the task to her). Of course, she couldn't glide down or spiral down; her dragon _had_ to do a power dive right down to the water — his wingtips picked up some spray as he pulled out. She waved, got a response, and zoom-climbed back to where the Nadders lazily circled.

"Okay, team, spread out! I've got the middle. Let's go find us a longship." They spread into a line and headed straight upwind, scanning the sea below in search of their prize.

To Snart's astonishment, they found it on their first pass. Hildi picked it up first and spread the word to the others, and they prepared to turn back.

"I don't think my dragon is going to be good for another lap," Nagmire called. "We need to head home."

"Okay," Snart agreed. "I'm glad you know your dragon's limits. Everyone turn and we'll head back. Once we find our own ship, Naggie, you head home; Hildi and I will finish the job." The three dragons turned on a wingtip and went back the way they had come.

Finding their village's ship wasn't quite so easy. They flew too far north and missed it, and had to double back. Once they found it, Nagmire's dragon waggled his wings and broke away for home. Hildi floated down to the ship and advised them to bear a bit further to starboard, then glided back up to rejoin Snart and Skybaby.

"Now we're down to a line of two, Hildi. We'll put a little more distance between us than usual. We might not see the 'come closer' sign right away, but as long as we can see each other, that's what matters. Okay?"

"Okay, let's do it." They spread out and searched again.

Again, they found the longship almost exactly where they thought they would. "This is almost too easy," Snart called.

"Don't call it 'easy' until it's done," Hildi shouted back.

"I think I see our ship coming over the horizon," Snart exclaimed. "One more back-and-forth, and we've got it." They did so. Within an hour, the crew of Machen's ship had sighted the mast of the longship.

"I guess our work here is done," Hildi called.

"Let's stick around and make sure," Snart suggested. Hildi shrugged, and the two dragons circled the scene at low altitude. They watched their ship pull alongside the prize. And then... nothing happened.

Snart descended and flew alongside his village's ship, holding position as best he could. "What's wrong?" he shouted.

"The men took a vote and decided the ship is cursed," the captain shouted back. "They won't go on board."

"We came all this way, and _now_ they decide this? What would it take to change their minds?"

"If one brave man went on board, the others would follow. I think."

"Hold your position, Captain. I'll work this out." He flew up to Hildi and described the problem, and his solution.

"Snart, you must want this ship pretty badly," she commented. "But if you're willing to try it, I'm with you."

"If you're with me, I'll be fine," he smiled. He flew back down to the ships, with Hildi close behind him. He explained to Skybaby what he was going to do. The green dragon shook her head; Snart hoped that didn't mean a refusal to cooperate.

"Left a little, Skybaby. Good. Now down, down... down a little more... here I go." With that, he unbuckled his riding belt and dropped six feet to the deck of the longship.

He landed awkwardly. His ankle would probably hurt for days. But he stood upright and smiled at the waiting crew on the other ship. He stamped his good foot twice to show that the timbers were solid. "Okay, my friends, _now_ do you believe it's safe?"

After a moment's hesitation, a young sailor climbed onto the gunwales of his ship and jumped the two feet to the longship; Snart caught his hand and steadied him as he landed. Another man jumped, and the first one helped him. Within a few minutes, the longship had an adequate crew.

"Thank you, Snart, you're a good man," the captain of the first ship called. "But how are you and your dragon getting home?"

"If this crew would give me a little space, I'll show you," he answered. He stretched out his arms. "Skybaby, grab me!" The green Nadder swooped over and plucked him off the deck with her back legs. "Up, baby!" She gained some altitude. "Skybaby, drop!" She released him... and he landed neatly on the back of Hildi's Wizard, which had flown underneath Snart's dragon.

Then the dragons reversed positions, and Snart dropped off Wizard's back onto his own dragon. He buckled up and saluted the captain. "That's how it's done, sir! Hildi, let's go home."

Once they were safely on the way, Hildi made the 'come closer' sign. "You made them think we do stuff like that all the time!"

"It's better if they have confidence in us, Hildi. You know, and I know, that I made that up as I went along. The worst thing that could have happened is that I might have fallen in the water, and Skybaby would have had to fish me out. But now they think we're trained and ready for anything. Now they won't panic if we ever have to help them in an emergency."

Hildi had to laugh. "Isn't training dragons enough for you? Now you're training _sailors_ too?"

**o**

A/N

_Snekkja_ — a medium-sized longship, bigger than a _karvi_


	49. Part 2, Chapter 12

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 12

Machen's new longship became a sort of mother-ship for the fishing fleet. No one ever found out what happened to its crew, but it brought only good fortune to its new owners. It had plenty of room for fish; a boat could haul up its nets, transfer the catch to the longship, and go back for another netfull. Now, a ship that needed repairs, or a crew that needed a rest, could stay home for a day, and the fleet could still bring in all the fish the town needed for its own use, the dragons, and the trade deal with Berk. This made the dragon riders, and Snart in particular, very popular with the fishermen.

Winter was setting in. The dragons had a new task added to their daily routine: hauling loads of firewood out to Academy Island, so the riders wouldn't freeze while pursuing their lessons. Snart brought back his fur-lined dragon-rider's boots from Berk, and both Hildi and Nagmire immediately wanted a pair. Life-size tracings of their feet were sent to Tetnuss on a Terrible Terror's back.

Nagmire was learning everything Snart and Hildi could teach her. She still got impatient from time to time, but she was seeing the value of the boring stuff, and did her best to sit still and listen. In the air, though, she remained irrepressable.

Their weekly flights to Jond, now done at high altitude, showed that the hostile village was preparing another raiding fleet. Two long _snekkjas_ and four smaller _karvis_ were under construction on land, with plenty of water barrels all around in case of fire. Any Viking could do the math: that meant a raiding force of around 160 men, or more if they added fishing boats to their armada. Where was Jond getting that kind of manpower? More importantly, when would they unleash it?

Snart had an idea for finding out. When he explained it to the rest of the Academy, Nagmire laughed out loud. Hildi's only objection was, "Hiccup would never approve."

"If Hiccup has any better ideas, I'll consider them," he replied, "but Hiccup isn't here. Machen has _got_ to have this information, and no one will get hurt unless they're stupid. I want to do this tomorrow morning. So _please_ don't fly your dragons to exhaustion today —" he glanced at Nagmire as he said this "— and make sure your parents know you'll be up with the roosters tomorrow. Okay, that's all for today. Feed your dragons, and take the rest of the day off; we'll make up for it tomorrow."

Early the next morning, three dragons rose silently into the chill air and headed north. They spread out and searched for their target: the fishing fleet of Elden village.

It took over an hour to locate them. They were headed east under sail, low in the water with their hulls full of fish. Their crews were looking forward to getting home and unloading. Those plans hit a snag when a blue dragon flew in front of them, snarling and breathing fire.

Wizard played his role of diversion perfectly. He couldn't take part in the real drama because he was too big, but Skybaby and Gullvinge were small and light enough for Snart's purposes. While all eyes were on the fire-breathing dragon in front of them, no one noticed the two smaller dragons coming out of the darkness behind them until they landed on the decks of two of the ships.

Snart's dragon landed near dead-center on his chosen ship. The floorboards creaked under Skybaby's weight, and the entire ship visibly settled in the water. All the men cowered in the bow or the stern, as far away from her as they could; one nearly jumped overboard, but was restrained by a friend. Snart looked down on them and grinned.

"Skybaby, eat," were his first words. The dragon happily bent down and helped herself to some first-rate fish, a treat she rarely enjoyed at home. The boat shifted each time she moved, threatening to ship water over the gunwales. Snart waited until he thought the sailors were close to panic. Then he spoke, in a reasonable voice. "There are some things I would like you to tell me. If I like your answers, I'll take my dragon and go home. First, I want to know..."

After lunch, the Academy riders asked Germburg for a few minutes of his time. "We have some important information for you about Jond."

"I'm listening," he replied, waving Rainbit over to join the conversation.

"Jond's strategy is to threaten all the small villages around them with war unless they provide warriors and ships for Jond's next raid on us. That's where they're getting their manpower, and that's where the archers are coming from."

"But Jond isn't strong enough to take on all those villages at once," Germburg observed. "Even at their peak, they couldn't dominate more than half of them, and they're far below their peak now."

"True, but those villages don't know that. Jond is concealing their own strength, exaggerating their numbers, and each village doesn't know how many others are involved. Jond is running a huge bluff."

"How do you know all this, Snart?" Rainbit asked.

"You tell them, Hildi." The Academy's designated storyteller described their information-gathering raid in detail, to the chief's quiet amusement.

"I never cease to be amazed at the stuff you come up with," Rainbit commented.

"I had Naggie land on another ship and ask the same questions, just to make sure they weren't making up stories to get rid of us," Snart added. "Of course, this is only what Elden knows, but it seems pretty conclusive."

"For a non-warlike man, you're quite the tactician," Germburg commented approvingly. "When is this raid supposed to happen?"

"That, they don't know. We can watch the progress on their ships and know when they _can't_ come, but as soon as those longships hit the water, it could be any day. It looks like we have at least two weeks, probably more."

"What do you suggest we do about this?" Germburg asked thoughtfully.

"My first plan would be for the dragon riders to locate each of the villages that surround Jond, and visit them early in the morning when most of the men will be away. Tell the people about how Jond is deceiving them. See if we can collapse the house of cards with a slight nudge."

"That's not a bad plan, Snart, but I don't think it will work. Even if Jond can punish only one village, no chief will run the risk of _his_ village being the one Jond chooses. I know I wouldn't. Your plan will stir up trouble, but it won't stop the raid."

"Then it will come down to battle, sir. Ships against dragons, just like last time."

"I suspect it will be harder this time," Germburg noted.

"I don't doubt it. But we have some new weapons at our disposal this time —" he nodded at Nagmire "— in addition to having the same advantages we had before. I'm going to start drilling our team in some special maneuvers that will be quite effective, I think. And, of course, we'll maintain three daily searches to the north until we find them coming."

"You'll let me know, of course?"

"Of course, sir. But my hope is that this will be another battlefield that you'll have to see from dragonback."

"Snart, so far, you've made my decision to open a Dragon Training Academy look good. If you can make this happen, there will never be another complaint about hungry dragons and lazy riders again."

"Not even from Beanbow, sir?"

"I'll shut _him_ up myself," Germburg said firmly. "Let me know if anything changes. I'm going to leave this project in your hands, dragon riders. Remember what is at stake."

"This village is _our_ home, too, sir," Snart reminded him. Germburg nodded. The meeting was over.


	50. Part 2, Chapter 13

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 13

The first really bad storm of the winter was hitting Machen hard. The fishing fleet had come home early, and had beached themselves rather than risk being blown away or swamped by waves. On Academy Island, the south-facing cave entrance kept out the worst of the wind and snow. The three dragon riders huddled around a fire, while their dragons curled up in some of the cave's side chambers. None of them wanted to fly in this weather; they were trapped on their island unless an emergency forced them to fly.

"I could bore you with some more recognition drills," Snart was saying, "or we could stretch our brains a little." He glanced at Nagmire.

"Stretch, _please,_" she begged.

"Okay, let's try to think like a dragon. When Berk took out the dragons' nest at Helheim's Gate, a few dozen dragons flew to Berk and made it their new home. But there were at least a hundred dragons in that nest, probably more. Where did they all go?"

"Does it matter?" Hildi asked.

"A lot of people think it does. Germburg wants us to find them so we won't have to go to Berk every time we pick a new dragon trainer. Hiccup wants to find them because it's a pet project of his. I want to find them because I'm curious, and because I'd like to beat Hiccup to the punch, just once."

"Are we sure they haven't gone halfway around the world?" Nagmire wondered.

"They all converge on Lovecraft Island to lay their eggs every year," Snart replied. "I saw hundreds of dragons there. They had to come from somewhere, not too far away."

Hildi got up, took another log, and laid it on the fire. "Then help us think like dragons. What does a dragon look for in a nest?"

"The nest in Helheim's Gate was a huge cave inside a volcano. It was filled with ledges and smaller caves, and had two entrances that we know of."

"Okay, so it's rocky," Hildi summed up. "It's far away from people, it's a place where they can't get trapped, and it's a big communal nest where many of them gather. There can't be too many places like that."

"But if it's far away from people, then it's probably someplace unfamiliar," Nagmire added. "The hard part for us would be finding the entrance. It might be invisible from the air."

"True," nodded Snart. "A good shortcut would be to find some wild dragons and follow them home. But Hiccup has tried that at least once, and he found nothing."

"Is Helheim's Gate the only dragons' nest we know of?" Hildi inquired.

"No, there was a nest in the Noidback Mountains, in what we call the Valley of Smoke," Snart replied. "I saw it from the air; it was a long valley filled with a yellowish gas. That's where the second Red Death set up housekeeping. We don't know where he got all his dragons, though."

"Maybe they never went anywhere," Nagmire commented.

"What do you mean?" Snart sat up and stared at her.

"Well, you said the dragons started raiding people's villages. What if the dragons were always there, and then the Red Death came along and took over and made them do raids and stuff? And after you killed it, what if the dragons just stayed there and went back to doing dragon stuff that doesn't bother people?"

"That makes a huge amount of sense, Naggie," Snart agreed. "The only problem is that Hiccup went back and tried to find dragons there. He found nothing."

"Did he try going down into that valley?" Hildi asked.

"I don't know, but probably not. That gas looked nasty."

"But dragons can breathe it, right?" Nagmire wondered.

"Yes, they can," Snart said thoughtfully. "And if they can, then our dragons can, too. So even if we can't breathe it, our dragons could get us out of there before it was too late. I think you're on to something here. Once the weather clears, and after we've taken care of Jond, I think we ought to make our Academy's first expedition to the Noidback Mountains and the Valley of Smoke, and try to find us some wild dragons. All in favor?" Three hands went up.

"Great, that's settled. My next idea is to figure out who our next new trainer ought to be. Any suggestions?"

"My stepfather is going to bring up Jackbart again," Hildi said sourly.

"What's wrong with him?" Nagmire wanted to know.

"He knows a little, and he thinks he knows a lot," Hildi answered.

"And you'd _never_ make a dragon trainer out of somebody like _that_, would you?" Naggie replied with a grin.

"The difference is, _you're_ willing to learn," Snart cut in. "You had one of those 'aha!' moments when you saw the limits to your own understanding. Jackbart would resist having a moment like that; I think he enjoys his delusions of know-it-all-ness too much to give them up."

"If you had two know-it-alls in the Academy at once, that could be a problem," Nagmire agreed, still grinning.

"On the other hand, if the chief demands that his son be the next trainer, there isn't much we can do about it," Snart countered. "Unless we have a really outstanding alternative to offer him."

"I could name four or five of our young people who might qualify, but nobody I'd call outstanding," Hildi shrugged. "Jackbart has already gone on his test flight, so we know he meets our minimum standards. Since we're bound to add him eventually no matter what we do, why not add him next and get it over with? What's the worst that could happen?"

"I'll speculate," Snart answered.

"Possibility #1: he does what Tetnuss did, rejecting his teacher and doing his own thing. That will eventually get him hurt, and it's sure to make the Academy look bad.

"Possibility #2: he ignores orders and tries to play the hero at the wrong time, and gets either himself or his dragon hurt, or worse.

"Possibility #3: every time he doesn't get his own way, he runs to his father to get him involved in Academy business. We'd lose our autonomy, which is one of our greatest assets, and one that we've worked very hard to earn and keep.

"Possibility #4: he becomes so abrasive that we spend more time and energy trying to get along with him than we spend on dragon training. We've got a good mix of personalities here; I hate to add a sour ingredient."

He dropped a log on the fire. Sparks flew everywhere.

"Shall I go on?"

"You paint a pretty bleak picture," Nagmire scowled.

"But a realistic one," Hildi retorted. "I know my stepbrother. He's got potential, but only if he gets over himself. Like Snart says, a dragon can bring out the best in a person, or the worst. With Jackbart, I'm afraid to find out which."

"But, as we all know, we're going to have to deal with him sooner or later," Snart concluded. "Unless we find a better candidate very soon, I'm going to tell Germburg that his son will be our next new trainer. Just _telling_ him will buy us some time; we won't have to follow through immediately. I have a more important project I want to get off the back burner first."


	51. Part 2, Chapter 14

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 14

"Snart, can I ask you something?" Rainbit asked as he ate his lunch. The storm had blown over after two days, and life was returning to normal.

"Certainly, _Frue_. What's on your mind?"

"You told me once about dragons like Zipplebacks and Snaptrappers, the ones with more than one head."

"Yes, I probably mentioned them once or twice," he nodded.

"How do their heads talk to each other? Do they speak, or can they share thoughts somehow, or... how do they do it?"

"_Frue_, those dragons are Fear Class, not Mystery Class, but how they talk to each other _is_ a mystery. I don't know. But now that you've become so interested in dragons, I think the time has come to do something about that. Where is your husband?"

"I think he's on the mainland, laying out boundaries for some fresh timber-cutting. Why?"

"If you see him before I do, please tell him I need to talk to him. It's kind of important. I'm sorry I don't have a better answer for your question."

"That's okay, Snart. Nobody knows everything. Thanks for trying." Rainbit wandered away, trying to avoid the cluster of fishermen's wives who always wanted to tie her up with petty complaints and chit-chat. Snart watched her thoughtfully.

He finally caught up with Germburg before supper and began to make his request. Germburg almost exploded. "You want to _what?_"

"Borrow your wife, sir. Just for a few days at a time, as long as nothing important is going on."

"And exactly _what_ do you want to borrow my wife _for?_" The chief watched Snart through narrowed eyes.

"I heard an expression once, sir. 'To kill two birds with one stone.' I'm not sure if you've noticed, but ever since we gave the two of you that first dragon ride, your wife has been, well, obsessed with dragons."

"Yes, I had noticed that. She's always bothering you with questions about dragons that can't possibly have any bearing on her day-to-day life."

"It's not a bother, sir. Part of the Academy's job is to help everyone understand dragons better. But her curiosity is one issue. The other issue is that, to really teach new trainers like Nagmire or Jackbart, we need the Book of Dragons. That's the source of all our facts. There's only one copy, and guess where that copy is?"

"Berk. I might have known. You want to take the new riders to Berk so they can study this Book."

"No, sir, that's not my plan at all. What I want is to take your wife to Berk, so she can make a copy of it, a few pages at a time."

Germburg stopped, thought, and nodded. "So you get your own Book, and she gets to read everything there is to know about dragons. Clever, Snart, very clever. The only problem is, she's the headwoman, and she doesn't have much free time."

"I don't suggest that we bind her to a schedule, sir, but just take a day or two now and then when the opportunity arises. Fly her down in the morning, spend the day and the night, and bring her back the next morning. I can't guess how long the project will take, because I don't know how fast she reads or writes. The Book is about this thick —" he held up his thumb and forefinger, about an inch and a half apart.

"You really need this Book for your Academy?"

"Yes, sir, we do. For teaching, for research, and because you don't like us to be too dependent on Berk. That's how it benefits you, since I know you're going to ask."

The chief pondered for a few moments. "Very well, I agree. I'll leave it to Rainbit to choose the days. Just let me know when you're leaving and when you expect to return."

"Yes, sir, we will. And thank you!" Snart noticed Rainbit wandering toward him purposefully as her husband got up to leave. He motioned to her to sit down, and explained his plan.

"Let me see if I understand you," Rainbit replied, trying to hide a smile and gradually failing. "You have work for me that involves riding down to Berk on a dragon, learning everything everyone ever knew about dragons, and then flying back? And you call this 'work'? When can I start?"

"Whenever your own work schedule allows it, _Frue_," Snart answered. "I understand you're a busy woman. Germburg says he'll leave the timing up to you."

"How about tomorrow morning? Would that be too soon?"

"I think it might not be soon enough for you, _Frue_," Snart smiled. "Tomorrow, then. Please let your husband know, and I'll notify the Academy. Each of us will take turns flying you down and back; I'll go first so I can set up the details with Hiccup and Fishlegs."

The flight south was fairly relaxing for Snart. Rainbit alternated between ooh'ing and ahh'ing over the scenery, and bouncing question after dragon-related question off of him. Skybaby glided most of the way, happy just to fly with her friend.

Snart had already discussed his project with Hiccup when he first brought Nagmire to Berk, so there were no objections. Rainbit sat in the Mead Hall with papers, ink, quills, and the precious Book, and set to work. Snart expected that she'd get distracted from time to time, and wouldn't make huge progress on the copying project. He was not disappointed. But her rapt expression confirmed to him that he'd chosen the right person for the job.

Halfway through the afternoon, she walked quietly into the Academy, where Snart was watching Astrid as she taught a group of children how to approach dragons safely. Rainbit waved him over.

"I need a break; my hand is starting to hurt. Could I go see all the dragons?"

"Of course, _Frue_. Grab two Dragonbags over there, one for each of us, and we'll go for a walk."

It was a slow walk. Rainbit wanted to stop and look at every dragon she saw, and there were a lot of dragons in the village itself.

"All these dragons belong to somebody?" she asked, staring at two Gronckles asleep on the roof of a storage building.

"They've all been trained by someone, if that's what you mean," Snart nodded. "They're free to come and go as they please, but once they have a special human friend, they don't go far. The wild ones stay in the pastures, or up on the heights."

They stopped again to watch a Zippleback and two Nadders feeding from a fish tray that used to be a night-vision torch. "They must eat a lot of fish," she observed.

"That's why Berk is trading for our fish," Snart answered. "The town feeds all the trained dragons, and all the wild ones that want to visit for a free meal. Some of them prefer to catch their own fish, but they stay here anyway because they're safe."

"It's hard to imagine an animal that big, worried about being safe," she wondered.

"You and I both know that the wars were hard on dragons as well as people," Snart replied. "Hiccup might be the biggest hero the dragons will ever know, because he ended those wars, pretty much all by himself."

"There are a few of our warriors who miss the days of guts and glory," she said.

"I'm aware of that. When the Jonds come, I'm seriously thinking of letting one ship through, so the guts-and-glory boys can have their sport."

"You call that 'sport'?" she sputtered, astonished.

"No, but they do," he countered. "My own idea of 'sport' would be dragon races, target practice, aerobatics tests, stuff like that. Stuff where nobody gets hurt. But I guess I'm kind of a radical in Viking society. These battle stars —" he tapped them on his vest "— probably get me more prestige in Machen than anything else."

"Do you think that's ever going to change, Snart?"

"I'm not sure it should change, _Frue_. Vikings should always be Vikings. We'll always have tribes and villages who don't want to play nice, and we have to be ready to handle them if they come calling. Peace on earth is a wonderful idea, but unless _everyone_ embraces it, it'll never work. We need our warriors. The problem is what to do with them when there isn't a war to fight."

They had finally reached the upper pastures. A few dozen dragons were spread all over the landscape in various attitudes of rest. Some of them raised their heads to watch the two humans; others were content to go on sleeping. Rainbit stopped and gazed across the panorama.

"Quite the sight, isn't it, _Frue_?"

"For me, this is close to Valhalla," she sighed. "Look at them all! They won't bother us?"

"If we don't bother them. The average dragon is a much more sensible creature than the average person. Take that Nadder, for instance." He gestured at a blue dragon that was watching them warily from about ninety feet away. "He's got his eye on us, and his tail spines are up. But I could walk up to him slowly, say nice things to him, stroke his tail, and he'd be eating out of my hand in five minutes. He's ready for trouble, but he's not looking for trouble, and he'd rather be friendly if I let him."

"A lot like my husband," Rainbit commented.

"There are some parallels, but please don't tell him I compared him to a dragon," Snart grinned. "For me, that would be a compliment, but I'm not sure how he'd take it."

"My lips are sealed," she promised. "How would you approach that Gronckle over there?"

"With a few blades of dragon-nip grass from the side pocket of my Dragonbag," he replied easily. "Just a little. Gronckles are very sensitive to dragon-nip. A handful would knock him silly; you don't want to do that if you're trying to make friends. He wouldn't remember anything."

"And that one over there?"

"That's a Zippleback; you seem to like those. You train a Zippleback by feeding him."

"Sounds like the way most Viking women train their husbands," Rainbit said with a chuckle.

Snart laughed. "Again, there are some parallels, but most Viking men don't have two heads. You have to feed them both at once, without playing favorites. I've never actually tried it, but that's how the Book says it's done."

"Ahh, yes, the Book," she nodded. "I'm going to enjoy this work a lot, I think. It'll be hard to go back home and count fish."

"I sympathize, _Frue_. For the first year of my dragon-training career, I had to go back home and count potatoes. It was hard. It's probably a good thing you don't have a dragon of your own, or you'd never get anything useful done."

"Probably not," she agreed with a trace of sadness. "I suppose I should get back to my copying." Snart nodded and walked her down to the village.

While he was there, Snart picked up Hildi's and Nagmire's new dragon-riding boots. He paid for them with coins from the small allowance Germburg gave the Academy. Normally, they didn't need much money — the village provided their food and clothing and a room for Snart, while the young women lived with their parents. Still, it was handy to have a little spending money now and then.

The next morning, as he'd expected, Rainbit was very reluctant to leave. Part of it was the Book, and part was the thrill of being surrounded by dragons. She watched the Sea Dragons get their morning orders from Astrid, and fan out as they flew out to sea for their patrols, with barely-disguised envy. Snart made a mental note to take her flying more often, even if it was just for a five-minute hop. The ride home was uneventful, and mostly in silence.


	52. Part 2, Chapter 15

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 15

The next few days were uneventful. They made frequent flights to Elden and Jond, and Nagmire perfected the technique of ocean rescue by snatching volunteer sailors and the other riders off a docked ship. They stocked up the Academy's supplies of firewood and dried food, in case they were stranded there by weather again.

One morning, Snart was dragging himself out of bed when he heard a commotion outside. He quickly dressed and ran out. The main road of the town was lined with people on both sides. Strutting up the middle of the road was a dragon like nothing Snart had ever seen.

It was about one-third the size of Toothless, too small for an adult to ride, but big enough to make children nervous. It was entirely red, with no markings. It had four legs and two wings, spikes at its elbow and heel joints as well as on the tip of its nose, and a rather frightening appearance overall. But it wasn't acting threatening. It would take a few slow steps, stop with one front leg raised, and glare at someone, then do it again.

"Snart!" came the voice of Germburg. "What is this thing, and what is it doing?"

"Sir, I don't know," he shouted back. "But it's not hurting anyone, so let's watch it and see if we can learn something."

"I thought you dragon riders knew everything!" called Cankfinger, the basket maker.

"No one knows everything, certainly not us," Snart answered. "I've seen a lot of dragons, I've read about a lot more, but I have no idea what this one is."

"I know what it is," came a raspy voice. It was Beanbow.

"You do, sir? You've seen one before?"

"I never saw one," he replied, "but my father once went on a raid to the great island to the southwest. He told me he saw a dragon there that sounds just like this one. The locals respected it and wouldn't harm it; they called it a Rhondda."

"Ron-thuh," Snart thought out loud, copying his pronunciation. "I wonder if that means 'red' in their language. Did he tell you anything else about this dragon?"

"Yes, he said that when a Rhondda appears, it means whales are nearby."

"Whales?" Cankfinger exclaimed. "You're crazy! There haven't been any whales on this coast for over forty years."

"Don't be too quick to write off an old man's wisdom," Snart countered. "Chief, if the dragon riders can find whales, will you send boats out to hunt them?"

"If you can find them, you're darned right we'll hunt them," Germburg growled. "We could use some whale meat in our diet."

"Hildi, Naggie, I'll meet you in the clearing. The Academy is going on a field trip this morning!"

Once they were gathered, Hildi asked, "What are we doing?"

"Looking for whales," Snart answered. "I'm going to fly due west; Hildi, go northwest; Naggie, southwest. Go for about three-quarters of an hour with a few zigzags, then turn due north for fifteen minutes, then head home."

"What does a whale look like from the air?" Nagmire asked.

"You won't see the whale, but you'll see its breath," he answered. "When a whale comes up to breathe, it sprays a plume of steam into the air. If they're in a group, you can't mistake them for anything else."

"Are they dangerous?" Naggie asked.

"No, not a bit; they're totally peaceful. The only way a whale could hurt you is if somebody dropped one on you. Okay, let's ride."

Nagmire caught Snart's sleeve. "Wait a minute. If they're so peaceful, why are we killing them?"

"Food, oil, all kinds of reasons," Snart answered. "You're probably uncomfortable with the idea because it's new to you. But it's an old Viking custom, and today is our day to join in and help."

"Snart, even a small whale is as big as a dragon. What if they're intelligent like dragons are?"

"Then you can open the first Whale Training Academy, Naggie, but not today, because today is whale hunting day. Are you riding with us or not?"

"No," she said flatly, folding her arms. "I just don't feel right about it."

Before Snart could lose his composure, Hildi jumped in. "Naggie, this is something the entire village is going to take part in. If someone asks you what you did today, what are you going to tell them?"

Snart reached a quick decision. "She's going to tell them she was flying the northern patrol route, watching out for raiders. And when you get back, land on Academy Island and stay there until one of us comes to get you. Unless you find raiders, of course."

Hildi turned on Snart. "What are you saying? Don't you —"

"Hildi, I'll explain once we're in the air. Naggie, just do what I told you." Nagmire, grateful for the excuse Snart gave her, wasted no time in getting northbound. The other two took off a minute later.

"Hildi, I didn't press her on this because she isn't being rebellious. It's something in her sense of right and wrong. She reminds me of someone else I know who has trouble doing things the Viking way."

"You?"

"Lucky guess," he smiled. "Now there are just two of us searching, so you fly west-southwest, and I'll fly west-northwest. The rest of the plan stays the same. Good hunting!" They split up and began their search patterns.

Hildi found what they were looking for, near the end of her patrol. She flew straight back to Machen with the news. By the time Snart returned, the fishing fleet had transformed into a whaling fleet and was rowing out of the harbor.

The Viking method of whaling was not sophisticated. They got to seaward of the whales, banged on pots and shields to frighten them, and herded them into a bay until the whales beached themselves. Then they descended on the whales with axes and other sharp objects.

Morale in the village was high that night. Everyone feasted on whale meat (except Nagmire, who sat in a corner munching day-old fish rolls). The Rhondda had taken off sometime while the fleet was out, and was not seen again.

Germburg sat next to Snart for a few minutes. "You realize that Beanbow's reputation went way up today, and you're the one who made it happen? He's going to be harder to deal with from now on."

"Sir, Beanbow is an irritant. He was also right today. I have to follow what's right, even if I don't always like where that path might lead." He paused for a moment, thinking of Nagmire. "I'm pretty sure everyone else in the Academy feels the same way. We may not always make life easier for you, but we'll always tell you the truth."

Germburg grunted. "I suppose I could have worse problems than warriors who are honest to a fault. I'm going back for another whale steak." Snart also got up. He walked over to Nagmire's table.

"You must be furious at me for disobeying you again," she said without looking up at him.

"Mildly annoyed. I'm also proud of you." That made her look up. "It's never easy to do what you think is right when everyone else is against you. But sticking to principles is one of the things I want as a foundation for this Academy. You may be a pain sometimes, but please, don't ever change." He rested his hand on her shoulder for a moment, then left to find Hildi.


	53. Part 2, Chapter 16

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 16

Two days later, Hildi returned from the morning patrol early. "They're coming," she announced.

"Jond?" Snart and Nagmire had been measuring Gullvinge to see if he was growing, but that task was forgotten in a moment. "We need to tell Germburg, all of us. Saddle up!"

Germburg called Rainbit over to hear their report. "Seven longships and fourteen fishing boats, about an hour away," Hildi recited.

"Seven?" Germburg queried. "You've been telling me for weeks that they were only building six."

"Yes, but they've got seven now," she answered. "They've added a big _skei_ to their _snekkjas_ and _karvis__;_ my guess would be they got the _skei_ from one of their northern allies. They're in a triple-line formation, with the big ships in the middle row and the fishing boats on either side."

"Snart, what can you do?"

"I recommend sending Nagmire to call in our fishing fleet; most of our men are at sea and we need them here. She's got the fastest dragon, so she can get there and still catch up with us before we strike. The land defense is up to you, sir. We'll hit them as hard as we can."

"Our fleet can't get back in time, Snart. You're all we've got. And you're even more outnumbered than before."

"I know that, sir, and I suspect they've brought some weapons to use against dragons, too. This is going to be a much, much harder battle." He stood up as straight as a spear. "If we can't win this one, then we'll meet in Valhalla. It's all or nothing."

Germburg clasped his hand tightly. "I welcomed you to Machen for this moment, Snart. Hildi, Nagmire... make us proud." He and Rainbit walked back to the clearing with them and watched the three dragons take off.

"Do you think they can do it?" Rainbit asked anxiously.

"I can't imagine how they could possibly do it," Germburg replied softly. "But those riders have surprised us in so many ways already. Maybe they saved one more surprise, just for today."

Snart instructed, "Naggie, like I said, you need to warn the fleet. Find them fast, and get back here fast. But don't wear out your dragon with a maximum effort; that comes later. Go, girl!" Naggie waved, peeled off to the left, and sped away.

"Hildi, I'm telling you my plan, not because you hate secrets, but so you can carry it on if something happens to me. Out of all those hundreds of men on those ships, there can't be more than a couple of dozen from Jond. The only way we can win this thing is to convince all the warriors who aren't from Jond to quit, and then deal with Jond ourselves. Here's what I want you to say to them..."

In about half an hour, Nagmire and Gullvinge caught up with them. "Naggie, save your dragon's strength. You and he are the keys to my attack plan, but we need all his abilities. Glide if you can." She nodded and said something to her dragon, which stopped flapping and spread his wings to glide.

In about twenty more minutes, they sighted the raiding fleet. No, Snart corrected himself; this was an annihilation fleet. If they landed, they would raze Machen down to the bedrock. The big ships in the middle each had a team of bowmen, and some kind of device on their foredecks. All were full of warriors. He called Hildi and Nagmire in to confer.

"We're going to start with the ships in the back, and work forward."

"Why not start at the front?" Nagmire asked.

"If you're trying to control a huge fleet that owes you no loyalty, where would you put your best men — in front or in back?"

"In front, where the battle will be fiercest," Nagmire answered quickly.

"Which means the worst troops will be in the back. They'll be the easiest to persuade. Hildi, you take the inner row; I'll take the outer row. Naggie, you stay high. If anything happens to us, make long-range fire attacks on the biggest ships; spread the damage around, don't go for sinkings. If my plan works, we'll come up to join you after a while, and we'll start on Part 2.

"I can't stress this enough: do _not_ take any unnecessary risks! There are only three of us. We three might be able to do the job together; lose any one of us, and all we can do is wound them a little. If my plan doesn't work, we'll make up another one, but everything depends on three healthy dragons and three healthy riders.

"Besides I don't want to lose either of you. Okay, here we go. _Skyter rett og snakker sannheten!_"

" 'Shoot straight and speak the truth'," Hildi repeated. "We ought to carve that over the entrance to the Academy."

"Maybe we will, Hildi. Win or lose, this is our finest hour." He nodded. Nagmire and Gullvinge pulled up to gain height. Hildi and Wizard peeled off to the right, while he and Skybaby went left. He passed down the entire length of the fleet — he hadn't seen so many ships since the Berserker raid! — and turned back to come up astern of the rearmost fishing boat on the left.

"Here comes one of those devil-riders!" he heard someone shout from the deck. A big man wound up and threw a bola at him. He'd expected something like that, and pulled Skybaby into a climb before the bola left the man's hand. It tangled harmlessly around his dragon's foot; he descended again.

"Friends, listen to me!" he shouted.

"You're no friend of ours," the man who threw the bola shouted back.

"I'm more of a friend than Jond is. Look at how they're using you!"

"What are you blatting about?" the man demanded.

"Look at the other ships. How many wear Jond's symbol?" Some of them looked around; he could tell they were counting.

"The answer is 'not many'," he went on. "They're safe in the middle; they put _you_ on the outside. You're nothing but human shields. You take all the dragon fire, they shoot us down while we're fighting you, then they sail into Machen, take all the plunder, and raise a toast to your frozen, floating corpses on the way home. It's a quick ride to Valhalla for you, nothing more."

"We'll get the same thing if we break our alliance with Jond," the man called.

"No, you won't," Snart replied, "because Jond's manpower is going to the bottom. I'll see to that. All you have to do is stop rowing and let us at them. If we fail, you catch up and your alliance is still good. If we succeed, your village is free of Jond's threats for another generation. What do you say?"

"What if we refuse?"

"Then I'll have to sink you so I can get to them. There's no one behind you to rescue you, and you know Jond won't stop to haul you out."

Someone else on the ship ran up to the stern, twirling his bola; the first man stopped him. "How much time do I have to think about it?"

"Your ships are less than an hour from my village. I can't give you any time. Decide now."

The man looked at the dragon, then at the longships in the center row. Only the three biggest ones wore Jond's shields. The man turned and bellowed to his crew, "Rowers, we need to rest for a minute! Ship your oars." The long oars slid in and the ship wallowed to a stop.

One down! Snart couldn't tell if Hildi was having any success on her side. He flew around the drifting ship and moved up to the next one in line. Then he heard the tell-tale twang of bows from the middle row, and pulled Skybaby into a fast climb. At this close range, the arrows were aimed in straight lines, not arcs, and the quick change of height made them all miss.

He remembered Germburg's words. _"We aren't killers by trade, but we're surrounded by people who are. Being nice is a luxury we can't afford."_ He identified a cluster of archers on the rearmost _karvi_. "Skybaby, see those men? Right there? Tail, shoot!" The Nadder whipped her tail; spines whistled through the air; almost the entire group of archers went down, along with a few oarsmen near them.

His dragon could fire one more salvo of spines from the other side of her tail. Then it would be at least two weeks before they grew back. He hated to use up his weapons so early in the battle, but those archers left him no choice.

He repeated his argument to the second-last ship. His words were strengthened by the desertion of the last ship. Another fishing boat dropped out of the formation, taking a dozen more warriors with it.

He flew back to check on Hildi's progress. She'd persuaded one ship to quit, and was talking to the second. The plan was working! He went back to his side and worked up to his third target. He had to fly beside it, not behind it, so the longships in the middle row couldn't throw things at him.

This ship was feisty; they threw axes as well as bolas. If he hadn't been expecting them, they would have taken Skybaby down for sure, and he might have taken an axe as well. Twice, he dodged their attacks. Then they paused; either they were out of things to throw at him, or they wanted to pull him in closer so they wouldn't miss. He couldn't wait to find out. He pulled within shouting distance and hailed the captain.

The captain's answer was to hurl a heavy net at him. He pulled up so it missed Skybaby's wings, but it tangled both her legs. She couldn't fly for long without using her legs for balance. He climbed hard, up to where Nagmire was watching it all.

"Naggie, if I fly just above you, can you cut this net away?"

"You got it, Snart!" She unsheathed her belt seax as Skybaby worked her way into position. He described the battle as she sawed at the ropes. It took a few minutes, but the net fell away in pieces and Skybaby was free. He flew back to that third ship and tried again.

This time, it looked like they really were out of things to throw. The captain listened, looked at the two ships behind him that had already dropped out, and decided the odds were against him. The men on the _snekkja_ across from him screamed and cursed him as his ship fell back out of formation. He could see two from Hildi's side also dropping back to see how the battle would go.

He heard another twanging of bowstrings, and he pulled up quickly. But these archers had watched him and anticipated his move; they aimed high. Three arrows bounced off Skybaby's tough scales, and one embedded itself in his own left thigh. A tough Viking warrior might not have cried out in pain, but Snart never could meet that Viking ideal. Without orders, Skybaby banked right to get away from the ships that were shooting at them.

Snart pulled out the arrow. The wound was small but deep; it hurt whenever he leaned left, which would make it hard to guide his dragon. On the other side of the fleet, he heard Wizard scream. He looked across and saw the blue Nadder flapping away from the fleet, two arrows in his right wing. They'd barely started, and their strength was being whittled down by sheer numbers. They'd taken five ships out of the fight, but there were sixteen left, including all the big ones.

First, he had to help Wizard before those arrows tore bigger holes in his wing. "Skybaby, up!" He overflew the fleet and caught up with Hildi's dragon. "Hildi, are you all right?"

"Yes, but my dragon is hurt!" she called back, her voice full of concern.

"Tell him to glide; I'll come alongside and pull those arrows out of him," he shouted. She leaned forward and told her dragon what to do. He spread his wings straight out, even though it clearly hurt him to do so. Snart coached Skybaby to fly a lot closer to him than they usually did. He reached out, broke off the head of the first arrow, and pushed the long end back out of the wound; then he did it again for the second arrow.

"Snart, you're hurt! You're bleeding!" Hildi suddenly cried out.

"I'll be okay, but we need to change our plan," he called. "Let's go up to Naggie." He climbed until he met Gullvinge, with Wizard right behind him.

"Naggie, did you ever figure out what your dragon's shot limit is?"

"Eight, I think," she answered.

"You'd better be right; I'm counting on that number," he shouted. "Make a long-range attack on the lead ship in the middle row; aim for the rudder and the steersman. If that ship goes out of control, maybe it will confuse their entire formation. Then climb back up here. Watch out for those archers!"

"On my way," she grinned. Gullvinge pulled ahead, then rolled upside down and dropped like a rock. His fire flashed out; a vivid explosion tore out half the deck of the lead ship. It slowed down and veered toward land, forcing the land-side column to veer away to avoid a collision. The sea-side column kept going, as did the other ships in the center column.

As Gullvinge pulled out of his dive, a strange low twang sounded from the second ship in the middle. A large round net flew upward, narrowly missing the golden dragon's wings; it snared his hind legs and tail, which would affect his balance and his ability to turn. He snarled and tried to bite the net, but couldn't reach it without pulling himself off course. Nagmire suddenly knew she was in trouble.

"Tell him to fly straight and level," Snart's voice suddenly called. The other two dragons were closing in on her from both sides; the riders had their seaxes ready. This net was tougher than the hand-thrown net that had tangled Skybaby, and by the time they had cut it away, the dragons were far behind the fleet and had to catch up.

"What was that thing?" Nagmire asked, shaken. This battle wasn't fun any more.

"Some kind of machine that throws a net," Hildi answered. "It looks like all the big ships have one."

"Then the net-thrower on the second ship is your target, Naggie," Snart ordered. "Shoot the deck right underneath it. And come in from the side, not from straight ahead."

"I... I can't."

"Naggie, we need you! You and your dragon can do things our dragons can't do. You've got to do your part here, or it's all over."

"Snart, I'm scared!"

Skybaby pulled in very close so Snart didn't have to yell. "Naggie, think about your house. Think about your parents. Think about everything you know and love, all going up in smoke and flames. That is what's going to happen to our island if we can't stop these ships. Being brave doesn't mean you aren't afraid. It means you put your fear aside just long enough to do what you have to do. And what you have to do is hit that second ship. Okay?"

Nagmire didn't answer. Her face was pale; her hands were clenched in a death grip on her saddle. Snart knew it was time to change the rules again.

"Okay, Naggie, I won't send you in there. I'll do it. You watch and see if Skybaby does the job; then Hildi will go after the third ship."

"Snart, you can't do that! Your dragon's fire doesn't have the range — you'll be cut to ribbons!"

"Will you go in with me, then?" He watched her bring her breathing under control, saw the panic fade out of her eyes.

"Yes, I'll go in with you."

"That's the Naggie I know and love! Remember, I can't dive like you can, so don't get too far ahead of me." The two dragons veered to the left, where the land-side column was still in disorder, and dove on the second longship.

Gullvinge's shot was dead on target. The net-throwing device was blasted over the side, along with the crewmen who were standing near it. In the shock and confusion, Snart saw an opportunity. "Skybaby, right there, fire!" Her superheated blast traced a burning line across the stern from port to starboard, and managed to damage the rudder as well. Oarsmen dropped their oars to fight the fire, or to jump overboard in panic. The ship slowed and turned to starboard, out of control, which threw the sea-side column into confusion. The dragons pulled out and flashed over those sea-side ships before anyone could throw anything at them. The pain in his leg was white-hot.

Nagmire looked back. "Snart, we did it!"

"Yes... yes, but that's just one ship. There are a lot left, and it's just a matter of time until they hit us with a net or an arrow. Pull up; we need to think about this, and we need to think fast." They rejoined Hildi and Wizard.

Below them, the attackers' formation had splintered. One group of ships had turned to port and gotten clustered up. A second group had fouled each other to starboard. The five intact longships rowed onward.

"Okay, there's our opportunity," Snart decided. "We'll wait a couple of minutes so those longships are completely clear of their escorts. Then we'll hit each one from three directions at once, one at a time, just like we practiced. The first three are the ones with Jond's warriors on them; they're the ones we really have to get. Hildi, do you think Wizard can fly well enough to do what I just did?"

"I don't know," was her reluctant answer.

"Okay, no three-way attacks. Naggie, do you think you can do a solo attack? Straight down, rolling on the way in so they can't tell which way you'll pull out?"

"I... I'll try."

"Good. Don't hit the third ship; they'll be expecting that. Go for the fourth ship, the big _skei_. Straight down, blow the deck out from under his net-thrower. Once those things and the archers are gone, the Nadders can get close enough to flame them if they're still afloat."

As Naggie set up for her dive, Hildi slid Wizard over toward Skybaby. "Snart, she doesn't have enough shots to take out all those things and the archers, too."

"We'll do the best we can, and see what happens," Snart answered. "That's all we can do."

"It's not going to be enough," she said.

Nagmire executed her attack perfectly. Gullvinge rolled slightly as he plunged downward, so the net-thrower crews didn't know which way to aim. His fire-shot hit the thrower directly and blasted it out of existence, and he zigzagged during his pull-out to make sure no one got a shot at him. Then he zoom-climbed back up to the other dragons' level.

"If I was them, I'd be getting kind of discouraged by now," Snart commented.

"I'm not them, and _I'm_ discouraged," Hildi said.

"Hildi, it's not over until it's over! You've got six shots and two spines, I've got five and one, Naggie has five shots left... we aren't even close to being defeated. Naggie, do that again. Dive on the fifth ship, then swing over and get the leader."

Hildi extended a hand toward him. "Snart, I've got two holes in my dragon, and you're bleeding more than you realize. This battle is over, whether you like it or not."

Naggie and her dragon pulled another perfect attack. But the archers on her target ship fired a volley straight up, and one lucky arrow caught Gullvinge in the joint between his foreleg and his body. The dragon riders at high altitude heard him scream, saw him stagger in the air before finishing his pull-out. Nagmire didn't return to their altitude, but headed for home.

"Now what, Snart?"

He tried not to show his light-headedness. "It's you and me now, Hildi, just like our last battle. The two lead ships don't have net throwers, so we can —"

"Snart, it's over. We've done all we can do, but we can't attack any more. We need to go home and help defend our island."

"Hildi, if all those men reach our island, it won't matter if we're there or not! We have to stop them here, or... or..."

He stopped as he heard a familiar sound, a rising whistle. He looked down just in time to see a bright flash tear the stern off of the leading ship. The ships behind it had to veer to one side or the other to avoid it, which made their formation break down completely. What could have caused such destruction?

Snart scanned the sky. There! Just beyond the last ship in the fleet, he spotted a fast-moving black shape... with a red tail fin.

That was the last thing he saw before he slumped forward and blacked out.

**o**

A/N

_Skei_ — the largest class of longship


	54. Part 2, Chapter 17

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 17

When Snart finally came around, he was in his bed. Hildi was holding a moist cloth to his lips. He tried to sit up; she pushed him back flat again, a little more roughly than she'd meant to.

"Don't try to move, Snart. You lost a lot of blood; you've still got a lot of healing to do. Here, drink this." She held a mug with a drinking straw for him; it contained water and a trace of something else. He drank deeply.

"Wait here, just a moment," she said.

"Yeah, like I'm going anywhere," he murmured. He was too tired to even think of getting out of bed.

She opened the door and called, "He's awake!" Then she returned to his side.

"Hildi... what happened out there?"

"We won."

"Was I dreaming... I thought I saw Toothless..."

"You did. Hiccup flew up here to tell my father that Berk's fish were back to running normally, and next week's trade fleet would be the last one. Germburg told Hiccup that we had bigger problems than that, and he came out to help."

"Huh." He tried to think straight. "So we never got to use all those weapons we traded for?"

"Actually, we did. Hiccup wouldn't sink the last ship, and he couldn't talk them into giving up. But he smoked most of their oars to slow them down, and by the time they got to Machen, our fleet was back and our men were ready. Some of the raiders surrendered as soon as they landed; the rest... I hope it was worth it for them. Drink some more of this. We've been scared to death for you."

"How long have I been...?"

"Since yesterday," Rainbit answered as she entered, with Germburg close behind her. "Skybaby brought you back after you passed out, and she knew enough to bring you to the clearing and not to the island, so we could get to you. Smart dragon. She's stretched out on the ground beside the door; we can't get her to leave."

"What about Naggie's dragon?"

"He's walking funny, but dragons are tough; he'll be fine in a few days. And, before you ask, Naggie stitched up Wizard's wounds. Her work isn't quite as neat as yours, but it'll do the job."

"I don't have to tell you how grateful I am, or how proud," Germburg added. He sat on the edge of the bed and clasped Snart's hand firmly. "Hildi tells me, just before you blacked out, you were trying to set up one more attack. I wish I could have been there to see it! I guess you're an old-school Viking warrior after all. The three of you, or I should say the six of you, saved our entire village."

"And Hiccup, sir."

"Yes, he finished what you started. I'm thankful to him, too, and I told him so. But he said he couldn't have done much if you hadn't already broken up their formation and whittled down their numbers. Some of us sailed down there yesterday afternoon and saw the battlefield. All I can say is, I'm glad you're on our side."

"Okay, that's enough from all of you," Rainbit announced. "Snart still needs to rest, and so do you, Hildi. You've been fussing over him ever since you got back. No, not another word — you go get something to eat, and then get some sleep. I can watch him for a while. Out, both of you!" She shooed Germburg and Hildi out the door. By the time she returned to Snart's bedside, he had fallen asleep again.

The next day, he was able to sit up in bed and eat. Hildi brought him up to speed on the battle. All the fishing boats had come from villages other than Jond, and they had all turned around and raced for home when they saw the longships losing the fight. Toothless had a field day with those longships, and he was far too fast and agile for their archers or net-throwers to aim at. Hiccup thought Gullvinge could have been just as destructive with a more experienced rider. In any case, Jond lost the last of its warriors, either at sea or when they got to Machen. As a local power, they were finished.

"The raiders who surrendered were all from the vassal villages," she went on. "They were happy to get out from under Jond's thumb and live someplace safe, even if we do have dragons here. One of them is a cooper; we could use some new barrels around here. Take another bite of that fish roll."

"You're enjoying the chance to order me around, aren't you?" Snart said with a weak smile.

"I'm enjoying seeing you alive and getting better," she retorted. "Now, are you going to eat your lunch, or do I have to stuff it down you? Remember, I'm stronger than I look, and I have a temper." They both smiled.

The following day, Skybaby tried to get into his room. She was too big to fit through the door, and she was getting distressed. Snart finally told her to turn around and back in. Her torso was still too big, but her tail reached the bed, and he was able to stroke her and settle her down.

On the third day, he was judged strong enough to handle a short visit from Nagmire, which left him exhausted. The next day, Hildi let him try walking. It hurt like fire, and he wasn't tough enough to hide it, so she helped him back to bed and continued to bring him his meals. It wasn't until two days later that he was able to hobble to the Mead Hall with her help, and eat with everyone else. He almost didn't get to eat at all; every member of the village had to greet him and thank him and ask how he was doing, from old Beanbow down to the small children.

"I almost envy you," Nagmire complained. "The night after the battle, they had a big feast for us. Hildi had to tell them all about it, and then I had to tell them again, and then they had questions, and toasts, and cheers... and you missed it all, you lucky son of a troll! Well, I don't really mean 'lucky,' but..."

"I get the idea," he nodded.

"Naggie, let him eat!" Hildi fussed.

Rainbit and Hildi disappeared the next day. Snart found out from Nagmire that they had flown down to Berk so Rainbit could work on their copy of the Book of Dragons. He spent most of the next few days resting in the clearing with Skybaby. The green Nadder had gotten over most of her separation anxiety, but she still craved the company of her rider.

"Naggie, how are you doing at persuading Gullvinge to not fireball everyone he meets?" he asked one day.

"Honestly, I haven't done much," she admitted. "He never goes any closer to town than the clearing, and no one goes to the clearing except us, the chief, and his wife. It didn't exactly slip my mind; it's just kind of a low-priority thing, what with the raids and all. I have worked with him a little."

"I want to see how much you've worked with him. Run into town and find Jackbart," he ordered.

"Oh, Nelly," she muttered as she ran off. She returned about fifteen minutes later with the chief's strutting son.

"You wanted me for something, Snart?" he asked, somewhat insolently.

"We need a test victim for Nagmire's dragon," Snart replied. "He shoots fire every time he meets someone for the first time. Nagmire thinks she's broken him of the habit, and we need someone he doesn't know so we can test him. And here you are."

"Uhhh, fire? As in dragon fire? You want me to stand there and let that dragon flame me?" Jackbart wasn't strutting now.

"He doesn't actually shoot _at_ you, just the ground in front of you. Nagmire survived it, and so did I." Snart knew that was a challenge Jackbart would have a hard time refusing.

The young man took a deep breath. "What do I do?"

"Hold your hands like this, so he can see you don't have a weapon. Make eye contact with him, and walk toward him very slowly. When he lets you get close, rest your hand on his nose for a second or two, and you'll never have a problem with him again."

He took another deep breath and stepped toward Gullvinge. Nagmire was standing right next to her dragon. As soon as he noticed Jackbart approaching, she exclaimed, "No fire! No fire!" Jackbart froze at that, then took another step.

Slowly, he closed the distance to the golden dragon. Every few seconds, Nagmire would repeat, "No fire!" He finally got close enough that he could reach out and touch the dragon's nose. Gullvinge allowed the contact for a second, then turned away, completely disinterested.

"Naggie, you did it! That's wonderful!" Snart exclaimed.

"_She_ did it? What about _me?_" demanded Jackbart.

"Yes, walking up to a potentially hostile dragon is pretty brave," Snart nodded. "But that's nothing compared to walking up to a dragon, having him fireball you, and you still keep walking. You've got a ways to go before you're as brave as Nagmire." Snart grinned, Jackbart scowled, and Nagmire blushed.

"Okay, I guess that's done," the chief's son announced. He turned on his heel and returned to town. His step didn't quite have the same swagger he'd had when he approached the clearing, Snart thought. He was probably disappointed that he'd been denied the chance to show his courage in the face of dragon fire.

"I wish you'd quit telling everyone how brave I am," Nagmire began. "I didn't feel very brave when I first faced Gullvinge, and I didn't feel brave at _all_ in the middle of that battle."

"Naggie, it's like I said in the middle of that battle: courage doesn't mean you have no fear. It means you overcome your fear and do what you have to do. You've done that every time. I don't want you to get a swelled head over it, but you really _are_ a very brave person." She blushed again, with a half-smile this time, and turned aside to check how her dragon's wound was healing.


	55. Part 2, Chapter 18

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 18

"Snart, would tomorrow be a good time for us to go back to Berk and work on the Book some more?" Rainbit asked him.

"Wouldn't it be better to wait until after Snoggletog?" Snart replied. "You must be busy, getting everything ready for the holiday."

"Actually," she said in a low voice, "I'm looking for an excuse to get away from the holiday preparations. All the major decisions are already made; it's just about cooking and decorating and making outfits, and the town doesn't need me for that stuff. Snoggletog is four days away; we could fly down tomorrow, come back the next day, and have plenty of time to brace ourselves for the holiday."

"I'll check the Academy's workload, and I'll get back to you," he promised. That was just an excuse; aside from patrolling for raiders and practicing rescue drills with the fishing fleet, the Academy had very little workload. But events took the decision out of his hands. That evening, a great cloud of dragons flew over Machen, and the three dragons took off to join them, without their riders.

Germburg called an emergency town meeting that night so Snart could explain about the egg-laying flight, and the fact that there would be no dragons in Machen for the next two weeks or so. The fisherfolk didn't like that; they drew comfort from seeing the occasional dragon overhead, and knowing that a flying rescue was only minutes away if disaster struck.

Then someone asked about baby dragons, and Snart had to go into considerable detail about eggs and hatching, and how cute the dragonets were. "I wish I could see one!" a little girl said.

"You'll probably get your wish," Snart reassured her. "When Skybaby comes back, she'll bring her babies with her." That set off a round of speculation among the young ones about who the little dragons would like best, and the meeting petered out after that.

"That does it," he said decisively to Hildi. "Next year, I'm tying you into your saddle to make sure you go on the egg-laying flight. You need the facts so you can tell the story, because no one tells a story like you."

"You did pretty well," she countered. "You covered all the important stuff, with enough detail to make it interesting, but not enough to bore people. My question is, what are we going to do for the next two weeks?"

"Let me sleep on that. We'll meet in the morning in the clearing, as usual, and maybe I'll come up with something."

He didn't come up with anything. They spent almost an hour just standing in the clearing, wishing their dragons were there. They were still there when Rainbit found them.

"Snart, I've got a request from the chief. He says one of the fishermen is sick with the flu, and would you be willing to take his place for a couple of nights?"

"_Frue_, I have never gone fishing in my life! I don't know _anything_ about ships or the sea, except you don't want to let the sea into the ships."

"That's all you need to get started," she answered. "Your boat is the _Four-Leaf Plover_. Just do whatever the captain says, and don't fall overboard. You'll only have to do it once or twice; then they'll take a break for Snoggletog, and their crewman should be feeling better by then." She paused. "Think of it as good training; now you'll understand how the fishermen feel." He nodded without much enthusiasm, then turned to Hildi and Nagmire.

"Ladies, find something girly to do while I'm away. I'm sure one of the grandmothers needs help hanging her decorations." They nodded with even less enthusiasm.

That first night was pure torture for Snart. Starting to work in the middle of the night was a bad beginning. He lacked the physical strength to haul nets or raise sails, so they put him on the rudder, where he found out how hard it is to steer a straight course when wind and waves want to push you in two different directions. Worst of all, he got seasick. It never quite got bad enough to bend him over the gunwales, but it kept him miserable all night long.

The only good part of the night was that it finally ended. "Not a bad night's work for a landlubber!" the captain bellowed as he clapped Snart on the shoulder. "Back for more tonight?" Snart nodded, trying not to look as unhappy as he felt. He walked slowly toward the Mead Hall, wishing the land would quit surging up and down. Then he remembered his queasy stomach, and turned away from the Mead Hall — sorry, no lunch today. He bathed and washed his clothes, trying to get the smell of fish out of them, and collapsed on his bed in exhaustion.

The second night wasn't much better. He was getting a feel for the ship and the rudder, and the captain didn't have to shout so many corrections at him. But he was still tired, sick, and unhappy as the ship tied up at the docks.

"You did some good work out there," the captain told him. "I know this isn't what you're used to. But if you're going to live in Machen, you need to understand fishing. It's what we are. We're mighty glad to see those dragons overhead; they make us feel safe. But you need to be just as glad when you see us coming in, because we're the ones who fill your bellies. Am I right?"

"You are, sir," Snart nodded. He would have said anything if it got him a few steps closer to his bed.

The next night was Snoggletog. Everyone was in a festive mood. It had been a good year, with plenty of fish, some whales, and victory over their enemies. There were fancy decorations everywhere, plenty of food, and fresh barrels of ale. Snart had never been much of a drinker, and he did his best to avoid the ale now. But too many people wanted to toast him for his role in the town's prosperity, the drinks added up, and finally, the ale accomplished what two nights of seasickness had failed to do.

"It's your own fault," Hildi scolded him as she mopped his brow afterwards. "That fresh stuff is stronger than you think. You should just take sips, not swallows."

"Now she tells me," he moaned. "What a way to celebrate a holiday! Give me back my dragon and let me fly a mile above the ocean, where it's safe."


	56. Part 2, Chapter 19

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 19

"Sir, I'd like to call a town meeting in the next night or two."

"What's on your mind, Snart?" Germburg asked.

"Skybaby will be back soon, and she'll have between two and four baby dragons with her. Those dragonets will need to find homes. I want everyone to understand what's involved in taking care of a baby dragon. They aren't just cute little pets; they're small dragons that are going to be big dragons some day."

"Is everyone who adopts a baby dragon going to be part of the Academy?"

"Probably not, sir, if we do it like Berk does it. They have lots of people who have trained a dragon, but they continue working at their chosen trade. The Academy is only for a few full-time dragon trainers. For the others, training a dragon is somewhere between buying a pony and adopting a child. It's not a small thing."

"If my son 'adopted' one of these dragon babies, what would that mean?"

"It would mean he wouldn't be able to join the Academy for at least two years, which is how long it takes for a dragon to grow big enough to ride. Baby dragons seem to be best for families with children who are too young to be apprenticed. They grow up together."

Germbart stroked his beard. "So these little dragons are an investment in the future, not a gain for the present? I think I understand. Call your meeting for tomorrow night."

The turnout for the meeting was good, considering that it wasn't mandatory. Snart started with the tale of two Snoggletogs ago in Berk, when Astrid found out how dragon eggs hatch. This got a few laughs, as he'd intended. He followed with the story of Boartooth's dragonet and the ring around its neck.

"In a week or less, my dragon is coming home, and she'll probably have two or three little dragons with her. Those baby dragons will be about as tall as a two-year-old girl and just as cute. They'll also be as hungry as a teen-age boy, and as prone to trouble as a five-year-old of either gender." That got an understanding chuckle from his hearers.

"Put simply, they need good homes. But a good home doesn't just mean you feed them every day and you're done. Dragons are intelligent, curious creatures who like the company of other intelligent creatures. Taking in a little dragon is a commitment for at least two years, probably for life. If you've got kind, responsible children, or if _you're_ kind and responsible, I'd love to place one of my step-dragons —" that got another laugh "— in your home. If you think you're interested, please come and talk to me in the next few days.

"Any questions?" There were many. It was nearly midnight before the meeting ended.

Two days later, Gullvinge returned. Nagmire had been told repeatedly that his absence was only temporary, but she didn't quite believe it until she saw him flying in, reflecting the winter sun's light off his golden scales. To say she was overjoyed to see him would be an understatement.

The next morning, Wizard came home, to another joyous welcome. Skybaby made her entrance just after lunch, and she brought three little Skybabies with her. One was blue-green with yellow marks; the others were blue, one with yellow marks and one with white. There were five families who had expressed an interest in adding a Nadder to their homes. The only fair way Snart could think of handling it was for them to draw straws. He then helped the winners make friends with the babies, as his own dragon looked on.

"Attention, please!" Germburg shouted over the hubbub. "Please remember that we all have work to do, and these dragons can't get in your way, or anyone else's way. Aside from that, this is a happy day; _three_ of our dragons left, and _six_ came back!"

That evening, Rainbit repeated her request to work on the Book of Dragons some more. Snart agreed; he hadn't seen his friends in the Berk Academy for quite a while. They flew down to Berk overland, rather than follow the coast. It saved them a few minutes, and it gave Rainbit some new scenery to gaze at. When they arrived, she collected the Book from Fishlegs and headed for the Mead Hall, while Snart visited the Academy area.

Today, Fishlegs was teaching people how to send messages with Terrible Terrors, or TTX as he called it. Most of his audience were ordinary people, rather than village leaders or Academy members. Apparently, the ability to contact others at will was something everybody wanted to do.

At lunch, he checked up on Rainbit. "As usual, I worked like crazy all morning, and now I need a break," she said.

"Let me guess: you want to see the wild dragons? I'll get two Dragonbags and meet you on the path."

"Why do you bring those bags? Hildi didn't bring them when she brought me here."

"You never know, _Frue_," he replied. "If we ever bump into a dragon who's in a bad mood, I might have to do a quick job of settling him down. I'd rather have the tools of the trade handy, just in case."

The upper pastures were fuller than last time; now that Berk had plenty of fish again, there were plenty of hungry dragons as well. Multiple knots of Gronckles studded the landscape, while the twenty-plus Nadders preferred to stake out their own space. Two big Zipplebacks towered over the others.

"That one's blue, Snart!" Rainbit exclaimed. "That's uncommon, isn't it?"

"Zipplebacks are kind of uncommon anyway," he nodded. "A blue one is out of the ordinary, yes." She started walking towards it; he followed.

"_Frue_, you do have to be careful with Zipplebacks. They're unpredictable, what with having two heads and all."

"I just want a closer look. I never saw one like that before." It was a striking-looking dragon, with pale-green and white markings on its dark-blue hide. The left head was watching them, while the right head appeared to be asleep.

"The right head is the one that breathes the gas, right, Snart?"

"That seems to be the case most of the time, _Frue_, but I wouldn't bet my life on it," he answered. "The gas is mildly poisonous, and the spark can sting a bit. It's when they get together that the fun really begins."

The left head suddenly swooped toward them on its long neck, circling around them. The right head opened its eyes and closed in on the other side. "_Frue_, it's time to get out of here!" Snart exclaimed. He grabbed her shoulder and tried to pull her away. She resisted him.

"I was just copying the pages about Zipplebacks," she protested. "It says, if you feed both heads, it will make them happy. And it looks like they can smell the fish in my pack, so..." She unslung the pack and opened it. "Here, one for each of you; I don't play favorites." She used both hands to toss a fish into the gaping mouths. _Oh, no,_ Snart thought. _Tell me this isn't happening right in front of me._

"Another one? Okay, one and one, here you go," and she gave it two more. Both heads were completely fixated on her; they didn't notice when Snart removed his own pack. "You still want more? Oops, I think I'm all out. Snart, what do I do?"

"It's too late to back out now," he muttered. "Here, take some fish from my pack." She did so; each head eagerly swallowed a third fish, then returned to gazing at her.

"One more, and that's it," she said. She tossed them the last two fish, picked up the empty Dragonbags, and turned to leave.

"Snart, it's following me! What do I do now?"

Snart shook his head in dismay. "Start by thinking of what you're going to tell your husband when you come home on a blue Zippleback!"

"On a... why would I do that?"

"Rainbit, don't you understand what you've done? You _trained_ him! He's your friend for life now! Our headwoman just became a Zippleback trainer!"


	57. Part 2, Chapter 20

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 20

Rainbit turned and stared at the huge creature that was lumbering after her. "I trained him? Isn't that a good thing? Why are you upset?"

"_Why_ am I _upset?_" Snart burst out. "Your husband wants his _son_ to be our next trainer! He'll think I set this up to keep Jackbart out of the Academy! How in Thor's name am I supposed to explain _this_ to him?"

"I think I can handle my husband," she said tartly. "Are there any other problems?"

"Well, _Frue_, how good are you at taking orders from your own daughter? And how good are you at denying it when people think the Academy is just for your family, since that's the case with every member except me? And how good are you at balancing the workload of a headwoman with the time demands of an unusually demanding dragon? 'Other problems'? You just kicked over a hornet's nest! If you weren't..." He buried his face in his hands. "Oh, what's the use? What's done is done. Say some nice things to your dragon; scratch his necks; do what dragon trainers do. I'll go down and get you some more fish." He grabbed the empty Dragonbags and stalked away downhill.

"I don't know why he's so upset," Rainbit said to the Zippleback, whose heads were curiously watching the scene. "After all, you're such a nice dragon! _Both_ of you!"

When Snart got to the Academy, the six members were discussing a possible voyage in search of wild dragons. He tried to enter quietly, but they all watched him as he dropped off his empty Dragonbags. "You need _more_ fish?" Snotlout demanded.

"Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full," Snart answered.

"_Three_ bags?" Hiccup asked. "Did you and the chief's wife get hungry up there?"

"She trained a Zippleback without meaning to," Snart muttered.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut both exclaimed, "Awesome!"  
Fishlegs and Astrid both exclaimed, "Uh-oh!"  
Snotlout and Hiccup both exclaimed, "She did _what_?"

"That's right, my chief's wife just displaced her own stepson as our fourth dragon trainer. She thought she was just being friendly; she read the pages about Zipplebacks, but not the part about what happens when a dragon gets trained for the first time."

"Uhh, I don't think that page is in there yet," Fishlegs confessed. "That was one of my projects I was going to get to, someday..."

Hiccup shook his head. "How do you get _into_ these situations?"

"I'm more concerned with how to get _out_ of them. And this one is partly my own fault; if I hadn't insisted on bringing Dragonbags, she wouldn't have had anything to feed that big guy, and none of this would have happened. Does somebody know a way to un-train a dragon? I didn't think so. I need to get back up the hill; that dragon's hungry." He wore one Dragonbag, slung another over each arm, and returned to the upper pastures.

"Snart, I owe you an apology," Rainbit offered. "I should have asked your advice first. After all, that's what you do."

"As I said, what's done is done, and can't be undone. We're just going to have to deal with it, you and I, and Hildi and Naggie, and Jackbart, and your husband... ohhh, my head is starting to hurt." He shook his head. "Rainbit, I'm sorry. Training a dragon is supposed to be a happy thing. The dragon sure looks happy about it. Here, toss them some more fish. Make a game out of it." She did so, tossing the fish high in the air to see which head would catch its fish first. By the time the three bags were empty, the dragon had had enough fun, and lay down for a nap, surrounding Rainbit with both necks as they lay on the ground.

"Have I really made a mess of things, Snart?"

"There are more things that _could_ go wrong here than in any other dragon situation I've known. But nothing has actually _gone_ wrong yet, so let's play it out and see what happens." He took a deep breath. "One issue is that dragon training has mostly been a young person's game until now. You're the first grown adult I know who has taken a dragon friend. Ordering you around, like I give commands to Hildi and Naggie, is not going to work."

"Yes, I can see how that would be awkward. You said Hildi might be giving me orders, too?"

"She's my second-in-command, _Frue_. She knows the ins and outs of dragon lore as well as I do, and she's in charge when I'm away. If she tells you to fly a patrol route, and she doesn't say 'please,' what will you do?"

"Maybe I shouldn't join the Academy, then," she said thoughtfully. "You said a lot of people on Berk train dragons but just go about their lives?"

"Yes, that's an option, once you've learned the basics of dragon care. It wouldn't erase all the difficulties, but it _would_ cut down on them. But that raises the question, 'Will your husband object to your dragon eating the village's fish and contributing nothing in return?' We'll cross that ford when we come to it. _Your_ next task is to learn to fly on this big guy. How to do that, without playing favorites of one head over the other, is going to be an interesting trick."

"Snart, how do you communicate what you want to a dragon?"

"I use words, along with expressive gestures to get the idea across. Once the dragon learns the words, I don't need the gestures any more, but sometimes I use them anyway. It can be handy to give your dragon a command without saying a word. You've got to train this fellow double; each head has to learn what you want." He gazed at her speculatively. "There's no chance Germburg might join you on the other neck, is there?"

Rainbit's eyes went wide. "I never thought of that. I really don't know. Sometimes he's so set in his ways, and sometimes he surprises me. Like you say, we'll cross that ford when we come to it." She looked at the dragon necks that surrounded her, listened to the two heads snoring. "It doesn't look like I'm going anywhere for a while. Got any pointers for a new dragon trainer?"

He recited his list of basic principles and time-tested good ideas. It seemed awkward, playing the role of teacher to the mother of the lady he loved, but she didn't complain. When the supper hour came, the Zippleback was still asleep, so he extended a hand and helped her step over the dragon's necks.

She spent the next morning either getting to know her dragon, or pumping Ruffnut and Tuffnut for information about Zipplebacks. The twins were delighted at the chance to show off what they knew, and Rainbit absorbed every bit of it.

"I'm starting to think that, between the Book and what those twins have told me, I might be turning into some kind of expert on these dragons," she confided to Snart over lunch.

"Yes. About that Book," he replied. "Are you making progress? That _is_ the reason we're here, after all."

"I... think I got sidetracked." She paused awkwardly. "It looks like you were right about a dragon distracting me from my work load. This isn't going to be as easy as I thought. But how can I stay away from him? He's just so... so..."

"Time with the dragon, time with the Book. Time with the dragon, time with the Book. Work out a schedule, _Frue_. That's what you'll have to do when you get home, so you should get started now. And you probably ought to send a TTX message to Germburg; he's expecting us home today."

"Yes, you're right. I'll send a message, visit my dragon, then spend a few hours reading and copying." She paused. "You know, I love learning more about dragons by reading, but learning it first-hand is a lot more fun."

"Fun," nodded Snart. "_There's_ a word you probably haven't used in a while." She nodded and tried to hide a chuckle.

The Zippleback let Rainbit ride him down into the village that evening, so he could feed from the fish trays, but he stayed on the ground. It wasn't until the next morning that he flew with her, and it was not a long flight. She was clearly disappointed.

"Remember your book learning, _Frue_," Snart counseled her. "Zipplebacks aren't strong fliers, especially the big ones. We'll see what he can do when we fly home this afternoon."

"Fly home," she repeated. A smile grew across her face. "I'm going to fly home... on my own dragon! I've been so focused on the down sides of all this, I'd forgotten there are some advantages to training a dragon."

"Yes, quite a few. After lunch, we'll head home and see what kinds of storms are waiting for us there."

Just before they left, Hiccup pulled Snart aside and placed something in his hand. It was a copper badge, shaped like the head of a Grapple Grounder. "I don't think anyone could argue that Nagmire deserves this," Hiccup said. "And here is your headwoman's Dragon Friend badge, and three battle stars for you, Hildi, and Nagmire, for fending off that attack."

"I hope you made a star for yourself, Hiccup," Snart replied.

Hiccup tapped his crossed flying harness, showing where a newly-attached battle star was sewn on. "I don't care about that stuff, but I can't have Snotlout claiming bragging rights over me. Have a nice flight, Snart. I hope we see you again soon."

As he always did, Snart used the return flight to start teaching the new dragon and rider. But his emphasis wasn't on commands and tricks this time, but on the mechanics of flying. As he'd noted, a big Zippleback is a weak flier. Snart taught Rainbit the arts of soaring into the wind to save her dragon's strength, and adjusting her course to get to her goal while gliding as much as possible. She flew by having her Zippleback keep its heads together, while she rode both necks at once.

They arrived over Machen together. Below them, they saw Germburg and Hildi run into the clearing, look up, and stop dead in their tracks. The big blue Zippleback landed with a thud; Rainbit slid off him and ran to her husband, who was still staring, open-mouthed.

"_Kjære_, can I keep him? He followed me home."


	58. Part 2, Chapter 21

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 21

"Snart, I think you need to call another meeting," Germburg suggested. "There's all kinds of talk going around the town, and you need to squash a few rumors."

"About your wife and her dragon?"

"My wife and _her_ dragon, yes," the chief nodded.

When the town gathered in the Mead Hall that evening, Snart had never heard so many wild stories. Some thought he had arranged for Rainbit to train a dragon in order to gain favor and eventually become chief. Others said the Academy was becoming a private club for the chief and his relatives; Snart had anticipated that one. Some objected to the amount of fish a big, two-headed dragon would eat. There were those who wondered what good a weak-flying dragon could do for the village. Some women complained that Rainbit was sure to neglect her duties as headwoman.

Snart began by describing, in detail, how Rainbit had trained her dragon. This was met with some snorts of derision. "Are you telling us she trained that thing by _accident_?" Beanbow demanded.

"Yes, sir, and I know it can happen, because it happened to me once, too." He quickly told them how he had inadvertently trained Skydancer.

"So you see, there is no deep, terrible conspiracy going on here. Your headwoman was just trying to be nice to an interesting-looking dragon, without realizing what the consequences might be."

"What about all the fish it's going to eat?" someone in the back called out.

"What about them? We've got more fish than we need, especially now that the deal with Berk is done. And, after all the trouble we've had with raiders, I would think you'd be _glad_ for a dragon that won't fly away, but will stay on Machen and help you defend your homes and families." That struck a chord with a few people.

"Why are all the dragon-riders relatives of the chief?" a fisherman's wife asked.

"Not all, _Frue_. I'm not a relative of the chief." ("Yet," someone muttered.) "Hildi, your first rider, was chosen before Germburg ever came to Machen. Nagmire was chosen purely on merit, competing with other people her age. And Rainbit wasn't chosen at all, as I've explained.

"In any case, it's the dragon that chooses whether to be friends with someone or not. Every one of your riders is competent and skillful. If those traits just happen to run in your headwoman's side of the family, is that any reason to refuse someone?"

"What about the headwoman's work?" an older woman demanded. "Can she get it all done now?"

"_Frue_, that remains to be seen. It may be true that Rainbit will need a little assistance now and then. That's true of all of us — fishermen, tradesmen, housewives, dragon trainers. Rainbit never needed help before because she's so good at what she does. You've gotten a bit spoiled. Now she's taken on a new responsibility, one that she didn't really ask for. And who among you will refuse to give her a little help if she needs it now and then?" Snart glared at the people. No one answered.

"Does anyone else have any questions?"

"Yes," called a little girl of about six years. Her parents tried to hush her, but Snart waved them off.

"Yes, young lady?"

"Sir, the new dragon has two heads. Is somebody else going to ride it with her?"

Snart smiled. "That will be up to your headwoman and the dragon. Right now, we don't know. That's a good question; thank you for asking. Any others?" There were none.

"Then I hope this is the end of any guessing and rumors about your headwoman's dragon. We in the Academy are going to work out her training, with guidance from the chief. If you have any other worries or questions, please bring them to me or your chief, not each other. Thank you, and good night."

"That was quite a performance, Snart," Germburg commented afterwards. "You changed her from a villain back into a hero."

"I've been learning from Hildi," he smiled back. "Nobody tells a story like her."

"I'm still not sure what to do about this dragon of hers," the chief went on. "Specifically, where does this leave Jackbart?"

"Your wife is not going to join the Academy full-time, sir," Snart began. "She'll need a period of training with us to make sure she can handle her dragon, and do something useful with him if the need arises, but she'll remain our headwoman. That means we don't have a fourth rider for the Academy yet. Jackbart is still the leading candidate for that position, and as soon as your wife and her dragon can stand on their own two – I mean their own six feet, we'll move ahead."

"I'm glad _somebody_ has a plan around here," Germburg scowled. He wandered off to speak to some fishermen.

"_Frue_, is everything... okay?" Snart asked.

"He's having a little trouble adjusting," she answered. "He doesn't like it when things happen without him having any control over it. Give him some time."


	59. Part 2, Chapter 22

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 22

The next morning was Rainbit's first lesson with the Academy. It was a chilly morning; the four dragon riders were glad for their camp fire in the cave.

"For starters," Snart began, "I have some awards, straight from Hiccup's forge. Nagmire, you've been promoted to Dragon Rider; congratulations. Rainbit is our newest Dragon Friend; here's your official badge. And I have battle stars for each of us who fought in that Jond raid."

"Snart, have you really been in eight battles?" Rainbit asked.

Snart nodded. "One raid, five counter-raids, and two take-down missions against hostile dragons. Plus two raids that I didn't get stars for. I seem to have a nose for trouble. Lots of glory, but no good memories."

"Will we ever have to fight again?" Nagmire asked, a bit anxiously.

"We all hope not, Naggie. Our neighbors to the north are mostly too small to bother us, and our neighbors to the south are mostly peaceful. There's the Berserkers, way off to the south, and the Wild Men of the North, up north beyond Jond; they're both big and hostile, but we're a four-day journey by boat from either of them, and a small village like Machen hopefully isn't worth the trouble for big tribes like those. Still, we never know the future, which is why we train and prepare for anything.

"Now, then. My leg has mended, the threat from being raided is over, and we don't have any other crises going on, so I'd like to do what I said I wanted to do before — visit Jond and set their captive dragons free. Can anyone think of any reasons why it's a bad idea?"

"What will Germburg say about it?" Rainbit asked.

"Germburg has given us some leeway to do whatever dragon-y things we want, as long as the fishing fleet is covered and the village is protected," Snart replied. "We aren't all going; you and Naggie will stay behind and work on basic aerobatics and find-the-fleet drills, which you need to learn anyway. If you have any time left afterward, check up on the little dragons and their families."

"Why can't I go along?" Nagmire demanded. "My dragon can fly that far; we've done it before."

"Yes, you can," Snart nodded, "but I think it will be less awkward if our headwoman gets trained by someone who isn't her own daughter." Rainbit nodded slowly; Hildi nodded vigorously. "Naggie, this is your first chance to pass on what you've learned to someone else. I'm leaving you in charge. I know you'll keep a handle on things. Oh, and Naggie — don't try to make Rainbit do a loop. Zipplebacks can't do those. Anything else? Great. We'll head out now, and with any luck, we'll be back in time for a late lunch."

It was a joyous relief to get up in the air, with no passengers and no danger in sight, and just fly. From the way Wizard was weaving and side-slipping, he was flying for the fun of it. They coasted along for nearly an hour without speaking. Finally, Hildi slid over into talking distance.

"Sometimes I put so much effort into flying, I forget how much fun it is."

"I know exactly how you feel," Snart called back.

"Are you going to tell me what we're up against?"

"Okay, here's what I know," he began. "Jond's dragon arena is a lot like Berk's, except they used metal rods instead of chains as a covering. I have no idea how many dragons are there, or if any people are watching the arena. We do know that there will be no adult-male warriors, or almost none. Women and some angry grandfathers are all we'll be up against. All I want to do is open all the doors, get the dragons out of the arena so they can go free, and head for home."

"What if there's a guard?"

"If there's any opposition at all, then we don't land, or we get out fast. I want to help those dragons, but I owe it to Machen to bring myself back, alive and unhurt. Same with you."

"Sounds good, Snart. I'm with you all the way."

They flew onward, hoping it would be an easy mission. As they got close, Snart waved for Hildi to come closer.

"Our only hope to do this is if we stay unseen. I want to come in low and fast from the northwest, climb almost straight up the cliffs, and land right next to the arena. We'll bring our dragons into the ring with us so they won't be seen. Let's veer to the north and start our approach." They slid down to wave-hopping level and picked up speed.

It was around ten in the morning when they made landfall on Jond. Snart hoped that any able-bodied people would be in the harbor on the south side of the village, counting fish and mending nets rather than watching out to sea for intruders. Their dragons glided in at high speed, pulled up as they approached the cliffs, and landed on the edge.

"Right over here! Skybaby, this way, follow me!" Snart ordered. The arena's entrance was an iron-barred door set into the stone walls. It was unlocked, but the rusty hinges shrieked when he pushed it open.

"It'll be a miracle if nobody heard that," Hildi muttered as she led her dragon down the ramp into the arena. Inside, it looked a lot like Berk's Academy, but in much worse shape. The stone floor was mossy in many places, with standing water here and there. There were five doors set into the far wall.

"I'm going from left to right," Snart explained. "You start on the right." He knocked on the leftmost door. Nothing stirred within. "Empty. Your turn."

Hildi heard something behind her door. "Okay, dragon," she said in a soothing voice, "we know they make you fight as soon as you come out, but we aren't doing that today. We're setting you free. We won't hurt you. Please don't attack. I'm opening the door now." She pulled the heavy lever and threw herself against the wall, and the door swung open.

A small blue Nadder, probably a yearling dragon, burst out of its confinement into the arena. In a panic, it looked for an opponent. All it saw were two other Nadders, and an open door to freedom. Like a flash, it ran up the ramp, spread its wings, and flew out to sea.

"Nice, Hildi. One away. My turn." He knocked, and was rewarded by a heavy thump as something threw itself against the door from inside. "If that's not a Gronckle, then I'm a flower farmer. Hey, dragon! We're here to let you go free today. We aren't going to fight; we don't have weapons or shields. We just want to free you. Here you go." He opened his door.

A very angry Gronckle shot out of captivity, looking for a rock to eat or a foe to attack. It didn't even notice the open exit door, it was so conditioned to fight. Snart grabbed for the dragon-nip in his pocket, in case it decided he was the foe, which it did. He only used a few blades; he didn't want to knock it unconscious, just make it happy. The fat dragon charged at him, got a whiff of the grass in his hand, and stopped in mid-charge. Its expression changed from rage, to amazement, to goofy delight. It settled to the ground, its tiny wings beating a mile a minute, sniffing the dragon-nip.

Suddenly, they heard voices. "The dragons are loose!" "Come on!" "Get some spears!" Snart tried to lead the Gronckle toward the exit; it followed slowly. "Hildi, we've got to get out, _now!_ Go, before this thing blocks the ramp!" She leaped onto Wizard, turned him around, and galloped for the exit. The Gronckle finally saw that exit and slowly flew away.

Just as Snart was trying to follow, two powerful-looking women with spears blocked the exit. "Intruders!" they shouted. For a split second, Snart considered using Skybaby's flame or spines. But he hadn't come here to kill, and even if he'd meant to, he was too slow. Someone dropped a net through the ceiling bars, catching both him and his Nadder's wings. Skybaby shook herself to get the net off, but she couldn't do it effectively without bucking off her rider. More people with spears swarmed into the arena, driving him and his dragon back against the wall and into the chamber the Gronckle had just vacated. The door slammed shut.

"We'll figure out what we're going to do with you, devil-rider!" an old woman's voice cackled through the thick door. "I'm sure it will be fun, but not for you!" Then came silence.

The chamber was dark, but not totally so. A small hole in the ceiling led up to the surface; it was probably meant for feeding the captive dragons, but it also allowed a bit of sunlight in. The room was about twenty-five feet square, roughly carved out of solid rock, and stank of dragon waste.

Snart's first act was to get the net off of him, then off of his dragon. Skybaby was shaking and keening with fear. He went through the entire training process with her, stroking her tail and soothing her until she settled down somewhat. "It's okay, Baby. We've been in some tough spots before. We'll get out of this one, too. Darned if I know how, though."

His dragon finally lay down in the center of the room, where the shaft of sunlight fell on the floor right in front of her so she could see it. He sat down and leaned against her. He couldn't hear any sound at all, not even the waves hitting the cliffs a few yards away. He waited.

Hildi had made a clean getaway; he was sure of that. The small Nadder was safely away, and the Gronckle had probably escaped as well. That was something, at least. Not that anyone would call it a fair trade for him and his own dragon.

What would they do to him? Because he rode a dragon, they knew he was from Machen, the town that had destroyed Jond's military might. They probably suspected he was one of the dragon-riders who had sunk their ships and left their men to drown. Whatever they were planning, it would not be pretty. He could already guess what they would do to Skybaby. He would be powerless to help her.

Back when he was a farmer, he had to spend a lot of time waiting — for seasons, for rain, for harvest time. Now that he was a full-time dragon rider, he had somehow lost the knack for waiting patiently. He began pacing in circles around his prison cell; Skybaby turned her head back and forth to keep one eye on him. When he got too bored, he paced in the other direction. He sat down next to his dragon, then got up a few minutes later and resumed pacing. When his legs got tired, he stopped, but he couldn't sit still for long. Then he thought about losing Skybaby, and flung his arms around the green neck and clung to her for a few minutes. Then he had to start pacing again.

He had no sense of time passing. Jond was too far south for the polar night, but it had very short days in the winter nonetheless, and the murky light of noon wasn't much different from the murky light of sunset. The tiny amount of light that came down through the shaft gave him no clue at all. If he looked up the shaft, he saw only solid overcast. He was getting hungry.

Skybaby nudged him with her muzzle. He stroked her nose affectionately. She was noticeably bigger than when he had first trained her, but she was still small for a Nadder. She probably wouldn't get much bigger. He decided that, when he heard them opening the door, he and his dragon would charge them, fire blasting and spines flying, and go out in a blaze of glory. It would have to be be better than whatever the Jonds were planning for him. He swore to himself that he would not watch Skybaby's end.

At last, his tired legs could carry him around the room no longer. He lay down on the stone floor and tried to sleep. He slept fitfully, waking up and dozing off several times. He had no idea if it was morning yet, or if he should try to sleep some more. He sat next to his dragon, one hand on her neck, and stared at the dim patch of light on the floor.

He closed his eyes. He opened his eyes. It didn't seem to make any difference. He closed them again.

"Snart, are you in there?"

What would become of Hildi after he was gone? Would she – wait, was that a voice?

He and his dragon both leaped toward the door. "Yes, we're in here!"

The door creaked open. Glorious dim sunlight dazzled his eyes as he staggered out of captivity. In front of him were Hildi, Fishlegs, and Tetnuss with their dragons. Hildi grabbed his shoulders. "Are you okay?"

He clung to her desperately. "I'm okay now," he whispered. "I'm okay now."


	60. Part 2, Chapter 23

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 23

Snart looked around. He heard the sounds of muffled explosions, fires, and people screaming. In addition to the Nadder and two Gronckles in the arena with him, he saw several more Gronckles darting back and forth, spitting fireballs every now and then. They were laying waste to the half-deserted town.

"Hildi, what's going on?"

"When I left here, I knew there wasn't much Naggie and I could do, and Rainbit probably couldn't even get here. So I sent a TTX to Hiccup, asking for help. He answered and said Stoick wouldn't let him do anything — they're nervous about the Berserkers for some reason.

"But then I got another TTX back from Fishlegs that just said, "WE'RE ON OUR WAY." Two hours later, these eight Gronckles showed up in Machen. It was too dark for them to fly any further, so we took off at first light, and here we are."

"Courtesy of the Gronckle Appreciation Society of Berk," Fishlegs added. "You've done so much for us, we kind of... ignored what Stoick said. We'll face him when we get back." Another muted blast in the background signalled the demise of another of Jond's buildings.

"You defied your own chief to bail me out?" Snart was incredulous. "Is this how you always treat people from other villages?"

"No, this is how we treat friends," Tetnuss answered with a trace of a smile. "And it was good for me to stand up in your Mead Hall and apologize for raiding Machen. I owed your people that much. I think I surprised a few of them."

Another Gronckle hovered over the grid that covered the arena. "We're getting low on shots, but it looks like everyone has run for the wilderness," she announced. It was Kneebiter, on Porkfire. "We can leave any time, if Snart is ready."

"I assume you're ready?" Hildi asked brightly.

"Not yet. I came here to free these dragons, and I'm not leaving until the job is done." He knocked on the center door and got no response. Something was behind the fourth door, though. He spoke soft words and opened the door.

The big Nadder burst out of its confinement as eagerly as Snart had. It stopped and looked around in confusion. It flapped its wings, but only spread them half-way.

No, they weren't spread half-way. Snart thought he might be sick.

The wings had been _chopped off_, just beyond the middle joint.

With tears in his eyes, he approached the maimed dragon from behind, stroking its tail automatically. It responded readily to his training, allowing him to examine the old wounds. Hildi rested a hand on his shoulder. The Gronckle riders looked on sadly.

"Who would _do_ this?" Fishlegs was also close to crying.

"Someone who was afraid he'd fly away," Snart guessed. "Or maybe someone who got wing-slapped. We can't leave him here. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."

"He can't fly! What can we do?" Tetnuss asked helplessly.

"Snart... I don't think there's much we can do for him." Hildi looked very sad. This Nadder looked a lot like Wizard; they could even have come from the same clutch.

"We'll walk back," Snart decided. "Skybaby will go with me."

"Snart, that's not a good idea," Tetnuss objected. "It has to be at least a four-day walk through some pretty wild country."

"We'll follow the coast; we can't get lost," Snart countered. "He can't fly, so he can't hunt. I know how it feels to starve, and I am _not_ leaving this dragon behind!"

"What are you going to eat on the way?" Hildi knew that determined look, but she still had to try talking sense to him.

"Skybaby can fish for all of us. I can ride her on the ground, so my feet won't freeze, or I can ride this big guy and let her fly. Look, all of you, I am very thankful for this rescue; I owe you all big-time; but this is something I've _got_ to do."

Fishlegs opened his mouth to say something, but Hildi waved him off. "He's made up his mind. The only question now is to help him or not help him. Snart, I told you when we started, I'm with you all the way, and I meant it."

"Snart, you know we'd do anything for you," Fishlegs began. "But we're already in trouble with our chief. If we take four more days to get home, he'll ground us for life!"

"You've done more than enough," Snart replied, clasping the big young man's hand. "I'll never forget this. You get home, and if you need a TTX from an Academy Master to get you out of this jam, just ask for one."

Amid many more thanks and farewells, the Gronckles of Berk lifted off and buzzed away to the south. That left Snart, Hildi, their dragons, and the crippled Nadder, alone in a burning village, a long way from home.

"They really smashed this place!" Hildi commented as they walked through the ash-strewn streets. "I've never seen such a destructive raid. They've wiped Jond right off the map."

"I think they were a bit angry," Snart agreed.

"Can you blame them? If I could have blasted this town out of existence, I would have. They _kidnapped_ you!"

"Wait a second, Hildi. I saw something." He poked in the ruins of one house with a stick. "Here. I knew I saw something shiny." He retrieved a hand-sized statuette of a coiled dragon made of gold, the rarest of metals. Uncoiled, it would be over a foot long. "This must have been their chief's house. This is my third raid, and I want some plunder this time." He pocketed the statue and they resumed walking.

The trek he now began was like none other in Viking history. He rode the maimed Nadder some of the time, his own dragon some of the time, and some of the time he had to walk, because riding Nadders on the ground made him motion-sick. Hildi flew overhead, warning him of obstacles in his path, until the daylight began to fade and she had to fly home. Skybaby took off for the nearby ocean and brought back fish for herself, the other dragon, and Snart. Lighting a fire for cooking was easy; they were walking in forest, and he had two fire-breathing dragons to work with.

He was concerned that Skybaby might be jealous when he rode the other dragon, but she showed no signs of any such thing. She crooned encouragement to the crippled Nadder, which had been cooped up so long that its leg muscles had weakened. They walked in single file through the silent pine forests.

The snow was over two feet deep; walking in it wasn't hard for a Nadder, but it was another story for Snart. To sleep, he had to clear a patch of ground with his hands. He tried using dragon fire to melt the snow, but Nadder fire was too hot; it melted the frozen ground, and sleeping in mud would be a very bad idea. The dragons lay down on either side of him to help keep him warm.

Hildi came back the next morning, still flying cover for him. Near the end of the day, she warned him that he was approaching Elden village. Snart was tired, cold, and not in a good mood. He walked right into the village with the two dragons right behind him.

"I need some place to sleep tonight," he demanded. The locals cringed at the sight of his dragons, and were awed that those dragons obeyed Snart's commands. They offered him an empty storage shed, which he accepted. The dragons lay outside and took turns guarding him, and each other, all night. The next morning, they began walking again. Snart was thankful for his warm dragon-rider's boots, but they were beginning to soak through. It comforted him to see Hildi and Wizard in the sky overhead.

Finally, as the sun was setting on the fourth day, they arrived at the channel that separated Machen Island from the mainland. It was shallow and rocky; the big Nadder waded it without difficulty as Skybaby flew alongside. Snart slid off her back and let out a deep breath.

He was home.


	61. Part 2, Chapter 24

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 24

Home, but not home-free. Germburg wanted to see him, and the chief was _not_ happy. Rainbit stood beside her husband, and Hildi took Snart's side, but both remained silent as the chief unloaded on him.

"I brought you to my village, and let you set up your Academy, so you could protect us from raiders, help the fleet in distress, and help us all live with dragons. Now explain to me how this little adventure of yours, that took my two best riders away from Machen for almost a week, fits in with _any_ of those goals!"

"Sir, for one thing, this 'little adventure' was supposed to be a one-morning trip. Getting captured and imprisoned was _not_ on my list of things to do!"

"Then why didn't you come back as soon as the Berks rescued you?" Germburg demanded.

"Because that dragon needed me." The chief moved to interrupt; Snart spoke quickly to cut him off. "Sir, if your men went on a raid and one of them got wounded, what would you do? Leave him behind?"

"Of course not. Only the dead get left behind; that's a rule all Vikings follow."

"I was following the same rule. If I hadn't brought that dragon back with me, he would have starved to death. Do you know what it's like to starve, sir? I do."

"All right, I'll give you that. But four days away from your place is too long, Snart. What if the fleet needed you?"

"Four days of an overland journey was the only way to do it, sir. I know it was _possible_ the fleet might have needed me, but the dragon _definitely_ needed me. It was a risk I felt I had to take, and if I'd gambled and lost, I was prepared to face whatever consequences you thought best."

"I feel like I'm losing this discussion, Snart, even though I know I'm right. There's one more issue, and that's the dragon itself."

"I know what you're thinking, sir. Another _forbannet_ mouth to feed."

"It's more than that, Snart. Our dragons are supposed to contribute to the village, in exchange for the fish they eat. You have to admit, a dragon that can't fly can't contribute much."

"I have to disagree, sir. That dragon is smart, strong, and healthy. And in terms of what he can contribute, you've answered your own question. You now have a dragon that will stay in Machen no matter what. He'll always be available for defense; he'll never be caught out of position."

"But how can he do that without a rider to train him, Snart? Who's going to ride a dragon that can't fly? I know Jackbart won't."

Rainbit nodded slowly. "He's right, Snart. Who would want to ride a dragon that can't fly?"

Snart looked thoughtful. Then his face lit up. "Tarburn!"

Hildi's grave face also lit up. "He's right, Father! Tarburn desperately wants to be a dragon rider, but he's afraid of heights! They'd be perfect for each other!"

"Not only that," Snart went on, "but now Machen will have a dragon trainer who isn't part of the chief's family. That will put some stubborn old rumors to rest."

"Hold on a minute!" Germburg almost shouted. "Speaking of the chief's family, what about Jackbart? I thought we had a deal, Snart!"

"Sir, Tarburn and this dragon won't be joining the Academy. They can't even get to Academy Island! We'll train them here in Machen, and he'll still make his baskets, and the position of 'fourth rider' will still be open. Our deal has not been cancelled; it's just been delayed a bit."

"_Delayed_ a bit!" the chief echoed. "First my wife, now a crippled dragon... if I thought for _one minute_ that you were engineering these 'delays' on purpose, I'd... I'd tie your dragon's wings together for a _month!_" He visibly struggled for control. "Snart, you and your riders and your dragons have done amazing things for this town. I've given you a lot of leeway, because I thought I could trust you to use that leeway wisely. Don't push me any further."

"Sir, we've got two new riders who need special training. I'm going nowhere for at least a month, even if I wanted to. I don't even have to fly your wife to Berk and back any more; she can fly herself now."

"Are you sure we have _two_ new riders?" Hildi asked.

"Good point; we have to see if Tarburn is willing, and if he can train this dragon." Snart took a deep breath. "Sir, I apologize for stepping so far out of line. It won't happen again."

Germburg took a deep breath of his own. "Make sure it doesn't. That's all." Snart and Hildi left at a fast walk. The chief turned to his wife. "Thank you for staying out of the middle of this one. I know you're a bit conflicted." He sighed. "He makes it hard to stay mad at him."

She rested a hand on his arm. "I know."

Tarburn was busily weaving a large fish-storage basket when the two dragon riders entered his work area. "Tarburn, do you have a few minutes to spare?" Snart asked. "We'd like to make you an offer."

"That's exactly what you told me five minutes before the biggest disappointment of my life," he retorted bitterly. "Sorry, I don't have any other dreams for you to smash." He looked back down at his basket.

"Tarburn, we need you for something special," Hildi said. "Something you're uniquely gifted to do."

"What's that? Do you want to hang me from under a dragon and see how loud I can scream?"

"We brought a dragon back from the training arena in Jond," Snart began. "He's injured. They shortened his wings with an axe. Aside from that, he's strong and friendly, which is pretty amazing, considering what he's been through. We need a rider for him."

"He's a special dragon, Tarburn," Hildi continued. "He needs a special rider. He's never going to fly again, so you'd be perfect for him."

Tarburn just stared at them for a few seconds. "If this is going to be another disappointment..."

"We can't guarantee that he'll like you, or that he'll let you train him," Snart replied. "But this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you." He paused. "Sometimes, broken dreams _can_ fly again."

Tarburn decisively set aside the pieces of his basket. "Show me this dragon."

The clearing was beginning to feel crowded, with five dragons in various attitudes of rest. Snart, Hildi, and Tarburn entered the area; Snart was finishing a quick description of how to train a Nadder. Hildi pointed out the injured dragon, who rose to his feet as the three humans approached. He flapped his stubby wings for balance.

"Who did this to him?" Tarburn asked in a tight, hard voice.

"Someone who should _never_ meet me face to face," Snart answered in a similar tone. The dragon wasn't sure which of them to look at, so he kept turning his head from Snart to Tarburn and back.

"He's a big one, all right," Tarburn commented. He slowly approached the Nadder, hands out and open. "What did they do to you, big guy?" he asked the dragon.

"Look at his tail spines," Hildi exclaimed. "They're completely flat. He wants to be friendly!"

Tarburn's attention was fully fixated on the dragon, who turned his head back to watch him as he stroked the tail. "You and me, we have something in common," he told the dragon. "Neither of us can fly. But we're going to do great things together, you and me, aren't we?" The dragon lowered its head so he could reach it. He stroked the dragon's neck and face; the dragon crooned in delight.

"Your name is Stormann," Tarburn decided. " 'Big guy.' Do you like that name?"

Hildi, touched by the scene, couldn't help giving Snart a long side-hug. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"It never gets tired," he whispered to her. "It's always a miracle."


	62. Part 2, Chapter 25

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 25

Snart was very busy indeed for the next month. Rainbit and her dragon, Toblå ("Two Blue"), needed training in basic dragon obedience, as well as sea search and rescue. She and Snart had to work together to come up with tactics for using the Zippleback's breath weapon, which was so different from any other dragon's fire. Tarburn and Stormann didn't need flying practice, but they needed to learn the same commands on the ground as any other dragon, including when and how to breathe fire.

"Are you really expecting us to help fight off another raid?" Tarburn asked him one day.

"It could happen," Snart nodded. "But my real thought is that, once the blacksmith finds out that Stormann and his super-hot fire can't leave the island, he's going to want to experiment with you. You might be getting some calls to visit the smithy soon, so you'll need to have your dragon's fire under pinpoint control."

"The smith?" Tarburn laughed. "He and the master basket-maker have had a feud going for as long as I can remember. They barely even speak to each other. Do you think we're going to end that hardware-software debate?"

"Dragons have done some amazing things in our society," Snart smiled. "Let's watch and see what happens."

Snart's next big concern was not fire, but water. A fast-moving storm swept in from the west and caught the fishing fleet at sea. Germburg roused his head dragon-rider out of a sound slumber early in the morning.

"Snart! Get your dragons in the air and find the fleet! They're going to need your help!"

"On my way, sir," Snart answered as he threw on his warm clothing, trying to stifle a yawn. He knew Germburg would have given Hildi the warning already, so he hammered on Nagmire's door.

"What in the world is so important that it can't wait until morning?" Naggie's mother demanded.

"There's a storm at sea. We need Nagmire to fly with us and see if the fleet needs help." The woman's eyes went wide at that; her husband was a sailor in that fleet. She ran back inside, shouting, "Naggie, wake up!" Hildi joined him at their door a minute later, and they waited. It took the better part of ten minutes for Nagmire to meet them.

"Aha!" crowed Snart. "We've _finally_ found a time of the day when we move faster than you do! Let's saddle up; the fleet is probably in trouble."

Rainbit met them at the clearing. "Snart, what can I do to help?"

"_Frue_, your dragon is no foul-weather flier, so I don't want you out there unless it's an emergency. Stay right here with your dragon so we can find you if we need you."

"I'll be here," she nodded.

"Okay, troops," Snart said crisply. "Usual search formation. Hildi, you've got the middle; you're in charge this time. Count us down!"

"Riders!" Hildi called. "Three, two, one, UP!" They all sprang into the air, spread out in a line, and headed into the storm.

After half an hour, they saw no sign of the fleet, so they began searching back and forth. After an hour, Nagmire's dragon was getting tired, so they sent her home and continued their search. An hour after that, their Nadders were also getting fatigued from fighting the winds, so they called off the search and returned to the clearing.

Germburg was waiting for them. "What are you doing here when the fleet could be in trouble?" he demanded.

"Sir, we've been searching for two hours. There's no sign of them."

"Then get back up there and find them!" he ordered. Hildi moved toward her dragon, but Snart motioned for her to stay.

"Sir, look at these dragons! They're exhausted. We don't know for sure that the fleet is in trouble, but I know for _certain_ that if we try to fly again in this storm, you're going to lose some dragons and riders. Let us rest for an hour, and we'll try again."

Germburg stuck his face right into Snart's. "An hour? An hour is too long if your ship is sinking. Those are my people out there, my friends and neighbors and relatives, and I want you out there helping them, _now_!"

Snart stared back at him. His eyes stung and his face was soaked from flying into the rain, and his legs were shaking from the strain of riding in a storm. "Sir, I'm sorry, but we can't do that. We need to rest our dragons, or we're going to lose them, and that won't help the fleet or anyone else."

With measured, deadly tones, the chief growled, "I am giving you an order. Find those ships and help them. _Now._"

He flinched in surprise as Rainbit laid a hand on his shoulder. "_Kjære_, they can't do any more than they've already done. Their dragons' wings are drooping on the ground, they're so tired! Let them rest, and they'll try again."

"Whose side are you on?" Germburg demanded.

"I'm on your side, and also theirs, because you're all on the same side. No one wants to lose any of our sailors, but we don't want to lose any dragon riders, either. Do we?"

He didn't answer.

"All right, then," she countered. "My dragon isn't tired. I'll go search for the fleet." She took a step toward Toblå.

He immediately grabbed her. "You can't go out there, Rain! You told me your dragon can't fly in a storm like this! He doesn't have the stamina! You'll... you'll..." His voice tapered off as he realized what he was saying. "All right. You win. Rest your dragons, and try again as soon as you can." He stalked off into the night.

Snart approached his headwoman. "_Frue_, when we started this search, you asked what you could do to help us. Now you know. Thank you."

"Please call me Rainbit," she replied. "I think I'm one of you now."

After about an hour, Snart and Hildi launched themselves into the storm again. They looked further to the north than usual, and found their fleet after about forty-five minutes. With sails furled and oars out, they were riding the storm out as comfortably as they could. They cheered when they saw the dragons.

"None of our ships is in danger," the senior captain called to them. "But the _Right Tern_ has a man with a broken leg; he slipped on the wet deck and went down the wrong way. Can you help him?"

"We can get him to shore," Snart answered. "Hildi, did you hear that?"

"We're on it," she called back. She found the _Right Tern_ and instructed the crew to help the injured man stand. Once he was upright with his arms out, Wizard swooped down and caught him away. It turned out the injured sailor was one of the volunteers they had trained with, and he was already accustomed to hanging under a dragon a hundred feet above the water. Snart flew back with them; Skybaby was beginning to tire again.

Rainbit and Germburg were waiting for them in the clearing. The headwoman took one look at the man's broken leg and ran back to town for help. The chief helped the man sit down, and asked how the fleet was doing. Rainbit returned with two women and a litter; together, they carried the man into town, where they could get him out of the rain and set his leg by lamplight.

Germburg remained behind. "Snart, that was good work. I... I really ought to let you handle your dragons your way. You've never given me a reason to doubt you — well, almost never — and you always deliver good results." Snart knew an apology when he heard one; he clasped the chief's hand as hard as he could. Germburg nearly crushed Snart's hand in reply.


	63. Part 2, Chapter 26

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 26

Snart tried very hard to avoid doing anything controversial, he really did. He got Rainbit qualified for sea-rescue work within sight of the shore, he improved Nagmire's understanding of the art of soaring to extend her dragon's range, and after the blacksmith asked Tarburn for dragon fire, he helped Tarburn invent some very specific commands for controlling Stormann's flame.

But the day came when Germburg asked him about his plans for adding a fourth full-time rider, and Snart knew he was out of excuses. "Things are pretty stable around here, sir. I suppose we could take Jackbart down to Berk any time to find his dragon."

"Good," Germburg answered. "When will you leave?"

Snart shrugged. "Tomorrow morning, after he gets back from fishing?"

"I'll let him know." Germburg walked away. Snart was used to him ending conversations that way.

He broke the news to the others the next day, at their morning meeting. "This morning? Just like that?" Hildi wondered.

"We've known this day was going to come," Snart replied. "More delays aren't going to make any difference. All we can do is get it over with, and see how it works out. My biggest concern is that he's going to compete against each of us, to show that he's better, and that's going to cause all kinds of friction."

"He'll do that, all right," nodded Hildi. "He doesn't have an ego. He _is_ an ego."

"It would serve him right if he got a Gronckle," Nagmire grinned. "Slow, ugly, and the laziest thing in the air. I'd love to see him compete against us on one of those!"

"Don't say bad things about Gronckles when I'm around, please," Snart answered. "I happen to think they're _wonderful_ dragons. But we don't control any of that. He might get a Monstrous Nightmare, for all we know. I'll take him down, and we'll see what happens."

Jackbart stepped off his fishing boat, full of anticipation. He remembered to be extra-polite to Snart, and as they lifted off the ground, he waved enthusiastically to his father and stepmother.

Four days later, they returned on Skybaby's back. Jackbart slid off the dragon and stormed off into the village without a word to Snart. The dragon-rider called a special meeting of the Academy that afternoon, and invited Rainbit.

"No dragon?" Hildi exclaimed.

"Four days of looking, and all he got was a warning from a Zippleback," Snart answered.

"A warning?" Rainbit exclaimed. "You mean, like a puff of gas but no spark?"

"Exactly. He got too pushy, and the dragon said 'Enough,' the only way it knew how. For a second, I thought it was going to blow him off the island."

"Would I be right in guessing that 'too pushy' kind of sums up his entire approach?" Nagmire suggested.

"You would be right," sighed Snart. "He came on strong to every dragon he saw, and scared them all off. Except for the Gronckles, who just ignored him and went to sleep. This is the first time I've _ever_ been unable to help a dragon trainer find his dragon."

"Well, that makes our lives easier," Hildi commented.

"Easier for you. _You_ don't have to explain to the village chief why his son was the first Viking in history to try to train a dragon and fail." Rainbit sucked in her breath at that.

"I know you tried your best to help him find a dragon, didn't you?" Hildi asked.

"I honestly did the best I could. He just wouldn't listen. 'Oh, you're being too cautious!' 'Don't tell me what I can't do!' 'These dragons are all idiots!' "

"Do you think he'd do better with someone else's help?" Rainbit wondered.

"He washed out with me, and he considers me a nobody. If it was Hildi or Naggie, he'd try to impress them, and he'd do even worse, if that were possible. Rainbit, you're his stepmother; how well does he listen to you?"

"Never mind," Rainbit sighed. "Do you want me to go with you when you talk to Germburg?"

"Thank you, but no, I don't want to pit you against your husband. I'll face this like the man Germburg thinks I am. If I don't come back... Hildi, you're in charge." That brought a half-smile to everyone. Snart stepped out of the cave, whistled for Skybaby to come down off the plateau, and they flew back to Machen Island.

Germburg and Jackbart were waiting for him in the clearing. The chief's face was unreadable, while Jackbart was trying to hide a triumphant smile. Snart dismounted, walked over to them, and waited for Germburg to speak.

"I want to know what happened down there," he growled.

"In general, or in detail, sir?"

"In detail."

Snart spent the next ten minutes describing, in detail, how Jackbart had approached seventeen different dragons, and had been rebuffed or ignored by every one. Germburg kept looking at Jackbart for confirmation or denial; his son said nothing.

When the recital of the facts was done, Snart stood and waited for the reaction. Jackbart was the first to speak. "He makes it sound like it was all my fault! Those stupid dragons didn't want me, that's all!"

"Is it possible that it was the dragons' fault, Snart?" Germburg asked. His emotions were still unreadable.

"It's unlikely, sir, but it is possible." He could have said more, but he felt it wasn't the time or place for a lecture on the mysteries of how dragons chose their friends.

After a long pause, the chief turned to his son. "Jack, you can go now."

"Dad, I want to see —"

"Jackbart, you may go. _Now_." There was no mistaking his tone this time. Jackbart turned and left.

Germburg waited until his son was well gone, then turned back to Snart. "Is there _anything_ you could have done that might have gotten him a dragon?"

"Sir, I know how strongly you want your son to be a dragon trainer. Working against that desire would not benefit me at all. I did everything I could, I said everything I could. I can't think of anything I might have done differently."

"There's no hope for him?"

"The only thing that might work is if we try again, but with Hiccup helping him instead of me. I know you don't like to depend on Berk. But Hiccup is the best, and everyone knows it. To Jackbart, I'm just someone who works for you. He might listen to Hiccup better." Germburg raised his eyebrows at that last suggestion, but said nothing about it. He thought for a few seconds, and made a decision.

"Snart, please send Hiccup a message. Ask him if he is willing to work with Jackbart, and if he is, when he can start. Let Hildi take him down there."

"Sir, is there a reason you don't want me to take him?"

"It's not that I've lost confidence in you, Snart; don't worry about that. I want Hildi to do it so, if he fails again, you will be completely uninvolved. His success, or his failure, will be his and his alone."

"Thank you, sir. I'll send that message immediately." Snart felt twenty pounds lighter. He almost skipped up the path to his room, where he kept his writing gear.

A week later, Hildi and Jackbart climbed onto Wizard, and they flew away to the south. Snart and Nagmire watched them disappear.

"Should I hope for success, or for another failure?" Naggie asked him.

"I really don't know what's best," he answered. "I guess you should hope that no one makes a terrible mistake."

"You mean, like, a dragon shouldn't choose him if it's a bad idea?" she said.

"That, or like, a dragon shouldn't bite his hand off."

The next day, Rainbit flew down to Berk to work on her copy of the Book of Dragons. When she returned the next day, she triumphantly brought a finished Book with her.

"Excellent! Rainbit, this is wonderful!" Snart exclaimed, leafing through it quickly. "Now we have all the facts, right here where we need them, without all the 'kill on sight' warnings. You even left room for additions if we learn new things; good idea. Ummm... this drawing of the Zippleback. Is that _you_ riding it?" Rainbit blushed a little.

"Well, be sure to let your husband know your project is finished," he went on. "That will make him happy. Any news about Jackbart?"

"None," she answered, her smile fading. "Hiccup took me aside and told me he's beginning to get a little less intense with the dragons, but..." She shrugged sadly. Snart decided it was time to change the subject again.

"What's Hildi doing while she waits?" he asked.

"She's spending half her time with Astrid, talking about girl things, and the other half helping the Academy down there with the teaching. It's hard to say who listens to her more intently, the children or the adults. That reminds me - Naggie, I have something to say to Snart in private; would you mind...?" Nagmire took the hint and returned to the village.

"Snart, I know that you and my daughter are... special for each other. Are you planning to do something about that?"

"_Frue_, I can't. A long time ago, you made me promise that I would train Hildi in dragons and _nothing else_."

Rainbit laughed out loud at that. "Yes, and to my amazement at the time, you kept your word. Would you like me to release you from that promise?"

"Yes, very much, but you aren't the only one involved. I need Germburg's permission as well."

"I can see to it that you get that permission," she said firmly.

"I'd like to get it freely, _Frue_," he went on, "and I don't think this is a good time. If I had asked for Hildi's hand right after the big battle with the Jonds, I know he would have said 'yes' on the spot. But I was too banged up to think of it. Since then, I've brought you home with your own dragon, I got into that mess with Jond and the four-day journey, we butted heads over flying in that storm, and now his son is washing out of dragon training. I can't seem to do anything without making him angry lately. It doesn't seem like a good time to ask to marry his daughter."

"You do have a point," she conceded. "But don't wait too long. There are other young men in the village who think Hildi would be quite a catch, temper or no temper. I think they all just want to be the chief's son-in-law; they don't care about _her_. But if my husband arranges a match for her, she'll have a hard time getting out of it."

She took his hands in hers. "She adores you, Snart. Please, don't wait too long."


	64. Part 2, Chapter 27

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 27

"Another special project, Snart?" Germburg sounded dubious already.

"It seems like a good time for it, sir. The winter storms have passed, we haven't had any crises in a while, and this project was _your_ idea."

"My idea? And which idea was that?"

"You asked if we could find our own source of dragons, so we wouldn't be dependent on Berk. Nagmire came up with a really good idea for where to look, and I'd like to take an expedition there."

"Yes, I do remember saying that, Snart. Where is 'there,' and who is going on this expedition?"

" 'Where' is the Noidback Mountains, about half a day's flight from here. Because we're going into rough, unknown territory, I'd like to take as many riders as I can."

"You know I want at least two riders on duty here at all times, don't you?"

"Yes, sir, although I'd hoped you might make an exception for an important project like this. If I can take only one rider with me, I'd choose Rainbit and Jackbart."

"Rainbit _and_... oh, yes, a two-headed dragon. So Hildi and Nagmire would stay behind. What's your motive for taking Jackbart along?"

"Several motives, sir. I know he'll ride well with his stepmother on the same dragon. His standing in the community went down after he failed to find his own dragon for the second time; if he's part of a major discovery, it will win him back some of the respect that a chief's son needs. But mostly, if we find dragons like I think we will, they will be in their own comfortable surroundings. That may make them more tolerant of his, uhhh, brusque approach, and he might be able to train one."

"All reasonable. What's your motive for going, Snart?"

"If we find our own source of dragons, that will make you happy. If your son trains a dragon, that will make you very happy. And if we find the dragons where Berk didn't, it will let me say, just for once, 'Hiccup, look what we did.' We'll be out of Berk's shadow for keeps. Those are all good things for me."

"Let's say, for the moment, that I approve. Is there anything else I need to know about this expedition?"

"We'd be gone for two days, three at the absolute most. And, if you aren't willing to let us all go, would you object if we brought a couple of riders from Norpi along?"

"Hmmm. Norpi? We don't have many dealings with them. All right, I agree. I assume you plan to leave tomorrow morning, as usual?"

"Actually, sir, I need to contact Norpi first, and see if they're interested. I would do that tomorrow afternoon, and we'd leave the day after that."

"Very good, Snart. Let me know what you find."

Back at the Academy, Hildi demanded, "What was the _real_ reason you picked my mother and not me?"

"Simple," he answered. "I know how strongly your stepfather feels about dragons helping the fishermen. By leaving my two best riders behind to watch the fleet, I had a better chance of getting the expedition approved."

"And bringing Jackbart along," Nagmire continued. "What's your real motive for that?"

"Jackbart is the chief's only son," Snart replied. "He's going to be chief some day, and I'll have to answer to him and work with him. I want him to see how I lead, and how I handle new situations; I need to earn some respect in his eyes now, or he'll run roughshod over me later."

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out," Hildi nodded. "We're going to miss you."

"And our chance to see all the dragons," Nagmire added.

"Personally, I'd rather take the entire Academy with me, because if there _are_ dragons there, you all deserve to be in on the discovery. But Germburg is Germburg, and —"

He was interrupted by Toblå's entrance. The big dragon perched on the cave entrance, with one head inside and one outside. Rainbit called, "Raiders, Snart! They're approaching the harbor now!"

"Let's move, team! The expedition will have to wait. Skybaby, come down here! Rainbit, do we know where they're from?"

"Germburg says they're from Hulm again. They know we have dragons; what could they be thinking?"

"We'll figure that out later. Rainbit, this is your big chance. Lay a cloud of smoke in front of the lead ship, and light it as soon as the ship enters the cloud. If they don't enter it, that buys us some time. Skybaby, it's 'go' time!" One by one, the four dragons and their riders lifted off from the rocky island and flew back to Machen.

"Nagmire, save your shots unless a ship is getting close to land. Hildi, support Nagmire and your mother; try not to let those ships land. I've got to catch up with Germburg." He flew to the docks, where he knew the chief would be organizing the tradesmen and some of the women into a defense.

"Snart, what are your dragons doing?" Germburg demanded.

"We're setting up some defenses of our own," Snart answered. "Your wife will take the first shot — she's laying her smoke barrier now, you can see it from here. Do you have any special orders for us?"

"Just don't let them land!"

"Yes, sir. Now I've got to find Tarburn. Skybaby, run, that way!" They were so close to the clearing that there was no reason to fly. They entered the clearing just as Tarburn arrived at a dead run.

"Tarburn, there's something fishy about this raid. I want you to take Stormann to the back of the village, and guard it against an attack from the rear."

"Are you cutting me out of the action and the glory, Snart?"

"Not even close! Hulm tried to raid us from the channel once before. They know we have dragons; I'm betting that the ships in the harbor are a diversion from their main force. You might wind up with a lot more action and glory than I will. But enough talk; move out! Skybaby, up!" His dragon leaped into the sky as Stormann ran through the village.

Once airborne, Snart could see the attack developing. Two fishing boats were entering Machen's harbor. The first was just sliding into Toblå's cloud. "Wait for it..." he thought to himself. Just as the stern disppeared into the green gas, the cloud exploded. "Perfect timing, Rainbit. Skybaby, left. Go fast!" He had to see if his fears about an attack from the rear were valid.

It took just over a minute to cross the entire island at Skybaby's full speed. He was right — three ships were creeping through the channel, each with a man in the bow to warn of rocks ahead. He turned back to the harbor and called his riders together.

"Rainbit, Naggie, sink them. No mercy. Hiccup and Toothless found a way to blow a ship's bow or stern off with one shot, just where the deck meets the hull; Naggie, work on doing that. The sailors will have to drop all their weapons and armor if they want to swim, so Germburg's force can handle the ones that get to shore. Hildi, you're with me; there are three more ships in the channel, and Tarburn can't handle them all himself." The two Nadders broke away and sped toward the back side of the island.

When they arrived, one ship had already tried to land. Its blackened, smoldering prow showed that Stormann had "persuaded" them to back off. He and his rider were striding back and forth along the shore, staying out of axe-throwing range, but close enough to charge any ship that tried to beach itself.

"Hildi, we'll each sink one, and leave one to take survivors home, if Germburg allows any survivors."

"This channel is too narrow for us to hit them from the side!" she shouted.

"Flame the sterns! We may have to hit them two or three times, but they'll sink if we burn enough wood off of them." She nodded, and they both dove.

It did take two fire-shots each to sink the ships. The first shot set the ship on fire, but didn't let any water in. The second shot tore holes in the weakened wood. Both ships settled slowly enough that everyone got safely off them, minus their weapons, shields, armor, helmets, boots, and anything else heavy. Some swam to the remaining ship, some kicked for the mainland, and about a dozen wound up on Machen. Tarburn and Stormann had no difficulty keeping them under control.

To Snart's surprise, the third ship didn't try to help its fellows, but reversed its direction and began rowing for home. "We can't let him escape," he called to Hildi. "One shot each. Ladies first." This ship didn't sink, but burned so furiously that the crew had to abandon her anyway. More survivors scattered to the mainland and to Machen Island.

"Hildi, land and help Tarburn control the prisoners. I've got to let the chief know what's going on here." She nodded and dove for the shore; he winged back to the harbor once again.

He found Germburg in full control of the situation. Fifteen wet, half-clad, shivering prisoners were lined up on the docks, with Toblå and Gullvinge watching them closely. Some floating debris in the harbor showed where their ships had gone down. Germburg asked Snart to fly him to the other side of the island so he could see what had happened there.

Here, the prisoner count was closer to thirty. "So you thought you'd keep my dragons busy in the harbor, while you raided the town from behind?" Germburg gloated. "Machen doesn't go down that easily. What do you think we ought to do with them, Snart?"

"_Snart__?_ came a cry from among the prisoners. "What are _you_ doing here? I thought you moved to Berk!"

"Bustrib." Snart recognized him easily. "Germburg, that's probably their chief, right there. He's a clever man and a strong warrior; handle him carefully."

He turned back to Bustrib. "I did move to Berk, but then I moved again. Sorry I forgot to warn you in advance. Did you really think you could steal a march on an entire wing of dragons?"

"Who knew about a wing? We only knew about that one," he said, pointing at Hildi.

"Next time, get the facts before you send your people to their deaths. Germburg, you asked for my opinion about the prisoners. We don't take slaves like other Vikings do, so I'd turn them loose on the mainland, with nothing but their wet clothes, and let them try to walk home. Hulm will not be raiding us for a very, _very_ long time."

"Snart, if this chief of theirs is as good as you say, he might just make it," Germburg replied.

"He might, but most of them won't. You know what a village looks like when it's lost its men. And I don't think they're going to find a convenient dragon rider to bring in a band of refugees as replacements; do you?" Germburg grinned at that memory, and made his decision.

"All of you, start swimming. Anyone who isn't off this island by the time I count to ten is a dead man. And if you do make it home, stay there. Machen is a dragon-friendly place, and we'll only get stronger as time goes by. Now _go!_ One! Two! Three!" Before he got to eight, all the Hulms had plunged into the icy waters and were making their way across the channel.

"Good work again, Snart, Hildi. You make it look easy. Tarburn, that dragon proved his worth after all."

"Actually," Hildi chimed in, "Tarburn stopped them at the water's edge. We just finished the job." Snart looked at her, startled.

"Indeed?" queried the chief. "Then we will feast tonight in Tarburn's honor. Hildi, will you fly me back to the docks? We need to march those prisoners overland and send them across the channel to join their friends."

Later that afternoon, Snart pulled Hildi aside. "Is there a reason you gave Tarburn the credit for our victory today?"

She nodded firmly. "He likes Naggie. I have my reasons for wanting to see Naggie paired off with somebody. Now he's a hero; maybe she'll be a little more receptive to him."

"That's kind of you," Snart replied. "But Tarburn isn't the only one who needs to score points with somebody." He walked away before she could ask what he meant.

Snart was inwardly fuming. He had hoped that, by winning this raid, he might find favor in Germburg's eyes again. Now Hildi had given the glory away to someone else. His only hope now was to find the wild dragons in the mountains, and that was far from a sure thing.

He guessed that Hildi's 'reasons for wanting to see Naggie paired off' were mostly jealousy over him. That was small consolation.


	65. Part 2, Chapter 28

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 28

He still didn't have any answers when he flew southeast the next day. Wartfoot and Mallie were enthusiastic about joining the expedition. "We'll get to spend some time with dragon people!" she exclaimed. "People who like us and understand us. I can't think of a better way to spend a few days."

"I'll notify Chief Hogbolt that we won't be able to protect the town for couple of days, so he shouldn't antagonize Hulm," Wartfoot added.

"There's no need for that," Snart cut him off. "Hulm tried to raid Machen yesterday, and they won't be raiding anybody else for a few years, if ever."

"You wiped them out?" Mallie gasped.

"We turned them loose on the mainland with nothing but the clothes on their backs," Snart answered. "Even if any of them do make it back, that town will be no shape for raiding for a _very_ long time. They miscalculated about our dragons, miscalculated very badly."

The discussion ended when a fourth dragon landed in their clearing. "Astrid! We weren't expecting you today," Wartfoot exclaimed.

"I had a slow day, and I thought I'd visit just for the fun of it, without any training," she replied. "And I wasn't expecting to find Snart here today, either. What's going on?"

"Well, uhhh... do you have to know?"

Astrid's eyes narrowed. "If you aren't willing to tell me, then yes, I _absolutely_ have to know!" She laid a strong hand on his shoulder. "What... is... going... on?"

"Astrid, I'll tell you, but I have to ask you not to tell Hiccup or anyone else on Berk. There's nothing wrong, it's just... a private project."

"I'll decide if Hiccup needs to know," she half-growled. "Start talking!"

"There isn't much to say. We want to know where all the other dragons go. Nagmire had a really good idea, and I'm launching an expedition to find them. I'm bringing Wartfoot and Mallie to pad out our numbers, and because they like our company." He paused and looked her straight in the eyes. "And if you can keep this to yourself, we'd be glad to have you join us, too."

That stopped Astrid in her tracks. "I know how much Hiccup wants to find those dragons," she said.

"We all want to find them," Snart replied. "If they're where we think they are, they don't belong to anyone; it's not like we're staking a claim to them. Would Hiccup take it badly if someone else finds them, or would he be glad they'd been found?"

"I... think... he'd be glad," Astrid said slowly. "When is this expedition leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning, about two hours after sunrise. We'll meet here. I've committed to my chief not to be away more than three days, so that's how much food to bring. Dress warmly. If you show up with anyone else, it's canceled; we'll try again later, without you."

"Snart, why are you so determined to do this yourself?" Mallie wondered.

"This is actually a special assignment from my chief. And... I have personal reasons."

"Personal reasons, Snart? That's not like you." Astrid was on the trail of a mystery and wasn't about to let it go.

Snart leaned over and whispered in Astrid's ear for half a minute. Her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth in surprise. "I see," she said, with a hint of a smile. "That _does_ explain a few things. Tomorrow morning, then. Just me."

"And us," Wartfoot added. "But at some point, I think it would be fair if _we_ knew what these personal reasons were."

"I'll tell you later, if you absolutely insist." Snart looked a bit embarrassed. "I need to get home. I'll be here early tomorrow."

Mallie, Wartfoot, and Astrid were all ready and waiting the next morning when Snart, Rainbit, and Jackbart arrived. The Norpi riders hadn't met the Machen riders, so Snart made the introductions, and Astrid passed out the Dragonbags she had brought for each of them. "Astrid, count us down!"

"Three, two, one, UP!" They made a spectacularly colorful group — Nadders in blue, green, and gray, a blue Zippleback, and a scarlet Nightmare. Their course took them east, toward the forboding Noidback Mountains.

Astrid caught on to their destination quickly — it wasn't the first time she'd been there. "Snart, we already looked there! Hiccup looked twice!"

"We're going to look in a different way," he answered. "Can you wait until we get there before I explain it all?"

"It's a good thing Astrid isn't Hildi," Rainbit added. "She _hates_ it when people keep secrets from her."

"Yes, I've noticed," Snart said drily.

"Speaking of secrets, now that no one can overhear us, will you tell us these personal reasons for this expedition?" Wartfoot asked.

"If you must know, I've fallen out of chief Germburg's good graces lately," Snart answered reluctantly. "It seems like every plan I come up with, rubs him the wrong way somehow. So I need to do something really good, to make him think good things about me. Otherwise, he'll never agree when I... ask him for Hildi's hand."

Mallie's face lit up. "You're getting engaged?! Snart, that's _wonderful!_ We're with you all the way!"

"You mean this is all about _you_ and my _sister_?" Jackbart asked scornfully. "You dragged me all this way for —" He broke off in a fit of coughing. Rainbit's dragon head had breathed a puff of green gas in Jackbart's direction. He shot his stepmother a dirty look; she feigned innocence.

"It _is_ wonderful," nodded Wartfoot, "and a bit ironic. You used dragons to get me and Mallie engaged, and now we're using dragons the same way for you. I like it."

"I was wondering when you and Hildi would get together," Astrid exclaimed. "You went to all that trouble, setting up the new Academy so you could be close to her, and then... what happened?"

"Dragons happened," Snart answered. "Raids happened. New trainers happened. Storms at sea, whales, books, chiefs... the Machen Academy isn't just an excuse for me to chase my girl friend. It's a fully functional dragon training center. The only difference between us and Berk is, we don't have our own source of dragons."

"Which is what my husband wants us to fix," Rainbit chimed in. "We get along well with Berk, but he doesn't like to be too dependent on anyone else."

"Every chief has his own style," Astrid nodded. "We're lucky; Stoick gives us a lot of freedom."

For hours, they flew over uninhabited wilderness. They dropped down over a cold, clear lake to let their dragons fish for a few minutes. The great beasts enjoyed the taste of freshwater fish as a change from their usual oceanic fare. Then they resumed their journey; the riders ate their lunch on dragonback. They arrived over the Valley of Smoke in mid-afternoon.

"What an ugly place," Mallie said with distaste.

"It hasn't changed," Astrid added. "Still no signs of dragons."

"Except for _that!_" Jackbart exclaimed. "What _is_ that?"

Snart looked where he was pointing. A monstrous skeleton lay broken on the mountainside to their left. "That's what's left of the Red Death that Berk and I killed last year. Astrid and her dragon struck the killing blow, actually."

"You were right there flaming," Astrid called back. "It was really a team effort."

Snart nodded. "Okay, gather around and I'll explain the plan." The five dragons closed in and followed each other in a tight circle. "Nagmire's idea is that the dragons are living down in that valley, in the smoke. She thinks they were living there before the Red Death moved in and took over, and they're probably still there."

"That could be," nodded Astrid. "But where do they eat? That many dragons would go through a lot of fish in a day, and there aren't enough lakes around here to feed them for long."

"That's the one big flaw with the idea," Snart admitted. "But there's a lot we don't know about this region. I have to know."

"How are you going to find out?" Wartfoot asked. "That gas doesn't look healthy."

"Dragons can breathe it, including ours," Snart answered. "We've got three Nadders; they're smarter than the average dragon. My plan is for the three of us to take turns dipping deeper and deeper into the valley, and see if we can find anything. We'll tell our dragons to get us out of there fast if we can't breathe the gas."

"That sounds like a plan," nodded Rainbit. "My dragon is due for a rest, so we'll perch on that cliff and watch. Mallie, you can join us if you like."

"I might as well," she nodded. "Wartfoot, _please,_ be careful." He nodded.

"Okay," said Astrid. "Who goes in first?"

"Let's play Boulder, Tidal, Stoker," Wartfoot suggested. They all nodded. Snart counted, "One, two, three, fire!" He and Wartfoot held out two fingers each; Astrid held her hand out flat. "Stokers scorch Tidal; you're out," Wartfoot said to her.

Snart counted again; he held out two fingers, while Wartfoot held out a fist. "Boulder crushes Stoker," Wartfoot said ruefully. "I guess I win."

"Just go in until you're completely in the gas," Snart advised him. "Hold your breath. See if you can see anything. Slowly take a shallow breath to find out if we can breathe the stuff. Instruct your dragon to get you out if you cough."

Wartfoot nodded. He told Sterk what he wanted; the gray Nadder chuffed. "Here we go! Down slow, Sterk!" The dragon glided down toward the sickly yellow mist and slid into it.

After about five seconds, his head reappeared, then the rest of him, then the dragon. "I can breathe it!" he shouted. "It has a funny smell to it, but it's not doing me any harm."

"Come up and breathe the fresh air for a minute, just to make sure," Snart called. Wartfoot and Sterk winged up and joined Astrid and Snart in a circle. After a minute or so, he showed no ill effect.

"Boulder, Tidal, Stoker?" Snart asked Astrid. She counted three; he held out a flat palm, she made a fist. "Tidal drowns Boulder. My turn. I'm going to dip down about ten feet into it, then come back. Skybaby, you keep me safe! Down slow, girl!" She spiraled down without hesitating and they dipped into the yellow mist.

The gas was not opaque; he could see the light of day above him, although it got dimmer as he went deeper. It smelled slightly of sulfur, but not enough to choke him. Then he glanced down, and to his surprise, the mist looked thinner, not thicker. "Down a little more, Baby." She angled down.

He looked. He stared. He stared some more. At last, he ordered, "Skybaby, up!" After a few seconds, he burst into clear air.

"Did you see anything?" Astrid asked anxiously. "You were down there for a while; we were getting concerned."

"We're going in, all of us," he ordered. "You're not going to _believe_ what I just saw!" The Zippleback and Nightmare lifted off their cliff easily and joined them.

"What's down there, Snart?" Rainbit asked.

"You're about to find out," he grinned. "Last one in, their dragon laid a rotten egg!" All five dragons folded their wings and plunged into the mist.

A second later, they plunged out of it. The mist was a layer, about twenty feet thick, that floated between the cold air above and the colder air below. That layer concealed another world.

Most valleys are narrow at the bottom and wide at the top. This one widened toward the bottom. The dim sunlight filtered through the mist, giving just enough light to see the entire valley, which went about five hundred feet deep. Most of the valley's bottom was a dark, still lake that had not seen the sun in centuries. Plumes of the yellow gas rose from two or three fissures in the rock walls until it reached the level of the misty curtain above them. The walls were honeycombed with round caves and indentations, as though the rock had once been a liquid filled with bubbles.

The six riders stared around them in silence for nearly a minute. No one wanted to be the first to break the silence. Their dragons glided easily, oblivious to their riders' amazement.

The first to speak was Jackbart. "This is a great hiding place, but where are the dragons?"

"Shhh!" Astrid hushed him. "Everyone, listen." They focused on listening, and gradually, they noticed a distant sound. It was a mix of thrumming and chirping that Astrid knew better than any of them. It was the sound of many dragons talking to each other.

"Let's go lower," she suggested. They glided closer to the surface of the lake. A fish broke the surface, spreading ripples across the still water.

"That's how the dragons eat!" Mallie exclaimed. "They've got this mile-long lake all to themselves. What a great place for a dragon to live!"

"We still haven't seen any dragons," Rainbit cautioned her.

"We hear them," Snart came back. "They're here, somewhere. We just have to — _there_!" His cry startled them all. "In those caves right down by the water!"

They looked where he pointed. Many pairs of eyes looked back.

"Look at them all!" Astrid cried. "There must be at least a hundred, or more!"

"A lot more," Snart corrected her. "I see them coming out of their caves, now that they heard us." As their eyes adjusted to the permanent twilight of the hidden valley, they could see dragons of all kinds, sticking their heads out of their many caves, watching them.

"There's a big cliff down there by the water's edge." Snart pointed. "Let's land there." The five dragons backwinged and settled to the ground. Six riders slid off their dragons.

"We might be the first people who ever walked here," Jackbart observed in a subdued voice. "Maybe no one ever saw this place before."

"Probably not," agreed Wartfoot. "We're the first." They walked carefully, as though they might step on something breakable.

Suddenly, one of the Gronckles left its cave and flew over to the cliff where they were walking. It landed in the usual clumsy Gronckle fashion, and ambled up to Rainbit. It sniffed her curiously.

She responded in good dragon-trainer style, holding a few blades of dragon-nip grass up to the dragon's nose. The Gronckle inhaled deeply; its face went from curious to surprised to overjoyed, and then it fell over on its side, completely blissed out.

"I guess I used too much," she said with a trace of embarrassment.

"At least they aren't afraid of us," Astrid said. "They even seem to like us."

"Most of you," Jackbart muttered bitterly.

Rainbit laid a hand on Snart's shoulder. "You did it! You found the dragons' nest! I think Germburg is going to be very happy about this."

"We all found it," he answered. "And I sure hope it makes him happy." In a whisper, he added, "More than you'll ever know."

"Snart, thank you for inviting us to go along on this trip," Wartfoot said. "All the work we put into our dragons... something like this makes it all worthwhile. We've seen things that no one else has ever seen before."

"I'll say!" added Mallie. "Have you ever seen a Nadder that color? He's almost as bright as Rødskjønnhet."

There was no mistaking what she was pointing at, even in the dim light of the valley. The Nadder was a brilliant orange, with black and white tail markings. It stood on a ledge about two hundred feet away and fifty feet above them, watching them alertly.

"He's spectacular," Rainbit sighed.

"There can't be many of _those_ flying around," added Wartfoot.

Jackbart just stared. Snart noticed him and quietly walked up behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Want to try your luck again, Jack?"

"Dragons don't like me," he sighed.

"That one never met you before," Snart tried to reassure him. "And I can tell you like the looks of him. What's the worst that could happen? Compare that with the best that could happen."

"What would make this time different from all the others?" Jackbart asked.

"If you do _exactly_ what I tell you, you _will_ train that dragon," answered Snart. "I've trained two Nadders myself, I helped Hildi and Wartfoot train theirs, and I've pacified a bunch of others, including Tarburn's dragon. I can handle a Nadder, and you can, too. Want to try?"

Jackbart thought; then he looked back at the orange dragon. "I think I have to try," he said, trying to convince himself.

"Okay. Skybaby will take us up to his ledge, and when we get there, you will do precisely _as_ I say, precisely _when_ I say it. You will _not_ do your own thing or follow your own timing. Got it?"

Jackbart turned to look at him. "Why does it have to be your way or no way? Isn't there any room for individuality?"

"So _that's_ the issue!" Snart smiled. "Jack, once you've gotten to know your dragon, and he's gotten to know you, you will have a relationship like no other dragon and rider. It's all individuality from that point on. But before you've gotten there, remember — that dragon doesn't know you from Odin, and you don't know him from the Midgard Serpent. You have to approach him like a generic dragon, and you have to present yourself like a generic person. That means following the generic rules for approaching Nadders. The individual part comes later."

"Is it _that_ big a deal if I go faster than you say?"

"Tell me this, Jack. If you visited another village, and you saw a pretty girl you wanted to meet, would you start by asking her to marry you?"

"Of course not!" Jackbart scoffed. "You have to... start... slow. Okay, I think I get it."

"I hope so. Let's mount up before that dragon gets bored and takes a nap." Skybaby lifted them easily to the ledge. The orange dragon backed off a step as they dismounted.

"I know you remember the first part," Snart coached him. "Palms out, show him you're not a threat. Walk toward him slowly, and work your way towards his tail. A little slower!" Jackbart forced himself to slow down.

"I know you're excited. If you can hold back just a little longer, you'll have more excitement under your control than you can imagine. He's watching you; that's good. Sidestep to your right; work around toward his tail."

"Those spines look nasty, Snart."

"They're standing up, but his tail isn't cocked to shoot them. You're doing fine. Take another step." He did; the dragon backed away.

"Stop there. Wait a bit. You don't want to corner him; that's never a good thing. These dragons aren't used to people. Try talking to him. Tell him what you think of him. It sounds stupid, but it really works."

Jackbart forced himself to stand still. "Uhh, dragon? Snart says I should talk to you. You can't talk back, so it seems weird. But... that _color!_ You are the most amazing-looking dragon I've ever seen! If I lose you, I think that'll hurt more than all the others put together."

"It's working, Jack. His spines are relaxing. Take a _small_ step toward him, then stop and wait." Jack obeyed. The dragon didn't move.

"Another small step. Keep making eye contact. Stop, he's backing away again. You've got your Dragonbag; try offering him a fish. _Slow_-ly." Jack reached over his shoulder, grabbed the first fish he touched, and pulled it out. The Nadder watched him intently.

"Here, dragon! This is a salt-water fish; it's not what you're used to. I hope you like it." He tossed it underhand; the dragon bent and snapped it out of the air. Then it straightened up again.

"Try another step, Jack." He did. The dragon didn't move. "Two more steps and you're there. Wait... wait... okay, take another step."

"Do you always have to tell people exactly what to do?" Jack asked, without taking his eyes off the dragon.

"It depends on the dragon more than the person," Snart answered. "This fellow is being stubborn. You're doing just fine. It seems like the unusual ones give us a harder time than the ordinary-looking ones. Okay, take a half-step, and wait again. Good. He's not backing off. Take a very slow full step. Slow! That's it. Nice and slow. Now, reach out, very slowly, and rest your hand on his tail."

"He's dry! I thought he would be slimy or something."

"Nope; dragons are clean animals, and Nadders take extra-special care of themselves. Stroke him. Again. Keep going. See his spines starting to relax? It's working. Keep going, keep going. You're almost there. Eye contact, Jack." That last command did it. Jack and the Nadder stared at each other. The chief's son slowly worked his way forward from the tail along the body without breaking that eye contact. He reached the neck and ran his hands along the scales.

"Try another fish, Jack." With one hand, Jackbart reached back again, pulled out a bigger fish, and offered it to the dragon; his other hand never quit stroking the dragon's neck. The Nadder leaned back and took the fish out of Jack's hand, almost gently, it seemed to Snart.

"If he coughs up a piece of it, Jack, take a bite out of it. That's the final step."

Jackbart broke the eye contact and looked back. "Snart, you gotta be _kidding!_ Eat something a dragon just barfed up? I'd rather die!"

At that moment, the dragon coughed and regurgitated half the fish it had just eaten. Jackbart stared at it and left it lying on the ground.


	66. Part 2, Chapter 29

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 29

"Pick it up, Jack! _Bite_ it!" Snart whispered urgently. "You've come too far to quit now!"

"That's disgusting!" Jackbart eyed the half-fish. The dragon eyed him, waiting.

"You only have to do it once, Jack, and then the dragon is yours for life!"

"I can't do it, Snart!" Jack answered. He sounded frustrated. The dragon took a half-step away from him.

"No!" Snart snapped. "I am _not_ going to let you lose him!" He suddenly stepped toward the dragon, snatched up the fish, bit off a piece of it, and handed it to Jackbart.

His sudden motion startled the orange dragon. Its spines went up and it cocked its tail, ready to defend itself. Snart quickly stepped back, but the dragon roared at him menacingly.

Another roar came from behind him. Skybaby saw the other dragon threatening her beloved rider and leaped forward, her own tail spines erect. They snarled at each other and stamped the ground with their heavily clawed legs. Snart and Jackbart were caught between them.

"Whoa! Mad dragon! Mad dragon!" Snart shouted. "Easy, Baby! Back off! It's okay!" At the same time, Jackbart dropped the fish and turned away from the angry orange dragon. He found himself facing the angry green dragon instead, and stepped back, only to trip on a protruding piece of rock and fall. He scrambled up, reached for the orange dragon's tail, and stroked it desperately, chanting, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! _Please_ don't shoot!"

After a very tense fifteen seconds, each dragon realized that no one was in any danger. Skybaby allowed herself to be pacified first; Snart hadn't had to stroke her tail since they'd been captured by the Jonds. He got her to back away, rumbling but not snarling, and that allowed the orange Nadder to relax. Jackbart finally got its tail spines down; the dragon took one last mistrustful look at Skybaby, then turned its attention back to Jack.

Jack looked at his hands. They were filthy from where he'd fallen. He looked at the dragon, then at the piece of fish on the ground.

"Oh, what the heck," he said to no one, picked it up, and bit off a piece of it.

The orange dragon didn't initially react. It still kept one eye on him without moving. But when he stepped over to it, it responded to his touch with a pleased rumble, lowering its head so he could stroke its cheeks. He did so, with an incredulous smile. "It worked!" he squeaked.

Snart had turned his back on them while he was calming his own dragon. He turned back to Jackbart and the orange Nadder, and was momentarily dumbfounded. Then he saw the second bite mark on the fish, and let himself smile. But he didn't say a word.

"Nice work, Snart. Maybe even awesome." Startled, he spun around. The other dragon riders were hovering on their dragons just beyond the ledge, watching the scene. It was Wartfoot who had spoken. They were all smiling.

"We all remember how it feels to train our dragons," Mallie added, "but we've never watched anyone else do it. This is going to mean the world to Jackbart."

"And Germburg," Astrid added.

"And maybe to you, too," Rainbit said with a wink.

Jack turned to look at the others. "Snart... you almost got killed, trying to win this dragon for me! I thought you didn't like me."

"I never said I don't like you, Jack. It's just that... how can I say this? We're all discovering how little we know about dragons, and trying to learn a little more each day. You didn't seem to think you had much to learn. At least, that's how you seemed, up until today."

"Well, I've got thirteen hundred questions now," Jackbart admitted. The orange Nadder stepped up behind him and rested its huge chin on his shoulder. Jack smiled in surprise and rubbed its nose.

Snart went on, "The only potential downside to all this is that, now, we can't go anywhere until Jack goes flying on his dragon. That might take us past the three-day limit that Germburg allowed us."

"I'm sure he'll be forgiving when he sees his son on a dragon," Mallie assured him.

"And as for your thirteen hundred questions, we have just the thing," Rainbit chimed in. "After all the fuss your father has made about you becoming a dragon trainer, you'll almost certainly be added to the Academy. Snart and Hildi will teach you everything you could imagine about dragons."

"_Hildi's_ going to be my _teacher?_" Jackbart's dismay showed all over his face.

"You may find some common ground with her that you never knew about before," Snart reminded him. "You're both Nadder riders now. Your dragon's a big fellow; you and he will be a natural team at ocean search and rescue."

"But how can I do that when I have to work on the fishing boats?" he asked.

"Jack, you weren't listening to your mother," Snart corrected him. "Your job from now on is to be a full-time dragon trainer, just like me and Hildi and Naggie. You're going to rescue sailors in distress, and repel raids from other tribes, and go on adventures we haven't even imagined yet. You've done your time on the sea; now it's time for you to fly."

"Fly," he nodded. "How do I make that happen?"

"The dragon makes that call," Astrid answered. "Probably some time in the next two or three days, he'll let you climb onto his neck."

"When you do," Wartfoot added, "hold on tight and enjoy the ride. It's _nothing_ like riding someone else's dragon."

"Can I try it now?" Jack asked with growing enthusiasm.

"Probably not," Snart replied. "We didn't notice because we were kind of busy, but it's getting dark. We should camp on that ledge where we landed, spend the night, and see what happens in the morning."

"I'd rather camp here, with my friend, if no one minds," Jack replied.

"Every one of us understands perfectly," Mallie replied.

The next morning, their dragons joined all the locals as they fished in the deep, dark lake, while the people ate their breakfasts on the cliffs. They saw all kinds and colors of dragons as they skimmed the water, plunging in to catch a fish and then flapping hard to bring it back to a cave or cliff.

Snart asked Astrid to begin Jack's dragon education, so she and Stormfly joined him on his ledge. He still questioned nearly everything he was taught, but once he was given a good reason for something, he accepted it.

"He's going to be a challenging student, but he'll turn out well in the end," was her verdict when Snart talked with her later.

"I'll take your word for it," he nodded. "You're our expert on chief's sons." She gave him a good-natured cuff on the shoulder. Hildi didn't quite look pleased by that, but said nothing.

The first two times Jackbart made the flying gesture, his orange Nadder did not respond. The third time, it bent its neck down and waited. Jack paused a moment in disbelief, then mounted up, and an orange streak launched itself from the cliff toward the layer of mist high above them.

They never penetrated that layer. But they flew right up to it, then right down to water level, up and down the full length of the hidden valley. Jack tried to copy some of the moves he'd seen Snart, Hildi and Nagmire performing. But halfway through a snap roll, he realized he wasn't belted in like they were. That took away some of his bravado in the air.

When the dragon had had enough, it tried to land in its familiar cave. Jackbart nudged its head and guided it to the larger ledge where the others were watching.

"Wartfoot, you weren't kidding about it being different from other people's dragons! Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings!"

"Welcome to the Nadder Nation," Astrid smiled. "I'll get Hiccup to make your Dragon Friend badge."

"And that concludes our business in the Valley of Smoke," Snart decided. "Does everyone think they can find this place again if they need to?" They were all sure. "Then let's fly home! Berk has some stories they need to hear, and Machen's going to be upside-down when they see their new dragon rider."

"Can I lead the way out of here?" Jack asked enthusiastically.

"I'm going to say 'no'," Snart answered, "for one simple reason. Your dragon is reluctant to fly up through the mist. If you follow us up, he'll see that we can do it, so hopefully he'll do it too. I'd like you to fly last, until we get out of the valley." Jack started to argue the point, but Rainbit waved him to silence.

"Snart can think like a dragon better than anyone else I know, except maybe Hiccup," she whispered in his ear. "You've seen what happens when you do things his way. Take that lesson to heart."

Six colorful dragons soared upwards in single file, and penetrated the misty layer above. The morning sun was dazzling in their eyes, they had grown so accustomed to the murk of the valley. Jackbart and his dragon were irrepressible. They climbed high above the others, then dove down past them, then did barrel rolls around them, then whipped by in the opposite direction while Jack held his arms above his head, shouting, "Look, Ma, no hands!"

"Do you think you can rein him in?" Rainbit asked Snart.

"We've done wonders with Nagmire. Anything is possible," he answered. "For now, unless he does something dangerous, let him have his fun."


	67. Part 2, Chapter 30

**Snart's Saga, Part II** Chapter 30

They flew back to Norpi first. "I wish I could tell you how refreshing it is to spend time with other dragon riders," Wartfoot exclaimed as Mallie nodded.

"Are there any other people in Norpi who like dragons?" Rainbit wanted to know.

"A couple of the younger ones. Most of them are scared off by the adults' attitude," Mallie replied.

"Then maybe you should think about starting a Dragon Training Academy in Norpi," Snart grinned. Wartfoot and Mallie's mouths fell open. "You'd have to work with Hiccup and Astrid, of course. But if you really like the company of dragon people, then maybe you ought to make a few."

Mallie turned to her fiancée in astonishment. "We never thought of that! But we both know enough; maybe, between us, we could train someone... Astrid, is that possible?"

"It's already been done once," Astrid said, with a nod at Snart. "But you have to have your chief's full support, or it will never work. It doesn't sound like your chief likes dragons."

"No, he doesn't." Mallie's face fell as quickly as her spirits had risen a moment before. "We'll have to think of something else."

"I'm sorry I gave you false hope," Snart said. "But there has to be _something_ you can do to improve things around here! Let me think about that for a while."

"Kiss that problem goodbye," Rainbit commented.

"Oh, please!" Snart snorted. "I'm a lucky guesser with some great friends and an awesome dragon, nothing more."

"You keep saying that," Wartfoot objected. "But I've never known anyone _that_ lucky. It seems like the whole world is dancing to your tune sometimes. I want to know how you do it." Astrid and Jackbart nodded their agreement. They all stared at him.

"Honestly, it's luck," Snart sputtered. "Maybe I have a better 'feel' for dragons than other people do, but that doesn't help me with people. It's just common sense and good guesses. If you really want deep, dark stories of dwarven magic or selling my soul to the gnomes, I'll try to make something up, but I don't have any good ones ready."

Rainbit commented, "We'd love to figure you out, so we can do what you do. But at least I'm glad you're on our side, instead of Hulm or the Berserkers." They all nodded at that.

"Well, I need to be getting home," Astrid said as she mounted up on Stormfly. "I have to tell Hiccup that the Norpi trainers did something noteworthy with their dragons in the past two days, and you've both earned your Dragon Rider badges. And he needs to know about the Valley of Smoke. If I know him, he'll send his own expedition there in a month or less."

"A week or less, I'd say," Snart replied. "Fly carefully and tell everyone I miss them." She waved as Stormfly crouched, then sprang skyward and flapped out of sight.

"Now it's time we got in the air; I want to get home before sunset," Snart said to Rainbit and Jackbart. "Wartfoot, Mallie, I wish you the best. Come and visit us some time, okay?" They nodded and clasped everyone's hands. "Okay, team. Three, two, one, UP!"

As they approached home, Snart called them in for a quick meeting. "I want to fly clear across town in single file, so they all can see us. Jack, you can lead the way this time. That orange dragon is going to upstage us anyway, so make this your big entrance." They sorted themselves into a line with Jack in front, Snart in the middle, and Rainbit behind them.

Machen came into view. Snart never got tired of that sight that he had learned to call 'home'. He wasn't surprised to see Wizard and Gullvinge circling the town, waiting for them. Hildi and Nagmire zoomed out to meet their fellow dragon trainers, and it would be hard to say what amazed them more, the sight of the orange dragon or the sight of Jackbart riding it.

"Get in line behind us; we're doing a low pass," Snart called to them. "And roar as we go over the town!"

Germburg was studying Rainbit's records of the town tradesmen's output when the low-altitude roaring of six dragons (Toblå counted double) shattered his concentration. He stepped out of his house, counted dragons, and began to lose his temper. "_Five?_ Come on, Snart, please tell me you didn't bring home another _forbannet_ stray dragon to feed!" He ran for the clearing.

They were just touching down when he arrived. His anger vanished like snowflakes in the smith's forge when he saw his son on that dazzling orange dragon. "Jack! You got one?"

Jackbart ran to his father; they clasped hands. "I got one, all right! Look at him, Father! I'm a dragon rider!"

Rainbit was right behind him, sharing an embrace with her husband. "We found the dragons, _Kjære_, just like you wanted! A whole valley full of them, in a place Berk never thought to look!"

Meanwhile, Hildi had clasped Snart in a very long, affectionate hug that he did nothing to resist. "I missed you," she whispered in his ear, in a way that gave him goosebumps. Then she greeted her mother in a polite, almost perfunctory way, then grabbed Snart's hand and exclaimed, "We need to talk."

All men cringe when a woman utters those words. Snart let her lead him into the low trees and scrub that surrounded the clearing. The dragons could raise their heads and see them, but the people were all out of sight.

"Listen," she began earnestly. "Last night, Coalbelly the boatmaker came by to visit my father. I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but I definitely heard the word 'bride-price'."

"Maybe Germburg is arranging a match for Jackbart," Snart suggested.

"No, Coalbelly doesn't have any daughters, only sons. It's _me_ he's making a match for." She looked him in the eye. "What are we going to do?"

He looked back. "I set up this Academy, when I had a cozy life in Berk, for one reason: so I could get close to you. I have walked through fire, snow, storms, and imprisonment; I've been wounded and I've risked death; I've dealt with some very difficult people, and I've helped some fine people through some very difficult situations; and it was all so I could stay close to you. Now it's time to seal the deal. I'll talk to your father tonight after supper, when his belly is full and he's in a good mood." She nodded, not completely convinced.

Germburg was in a _very_ good mood after supper. He'd heard from his wife about the Valley of Smoke, and from his son about the orange dragon, and Snart's role in both. He was back in the tradesmen's records when Snart knocked and entered. Hildi and Rainbit drifted into the room at about the same time. The chief noticed that, and had a good idea where this discussion might be going.

"Sir," Snart began, "what do you think of me?"

Germburg closed the record book. "You are sometimes troublesome," he said, "although that's usually because we're following different paths to the same end. You are always brave, cunning, clever, a tenacious warrior, good at delegating authority, loyal to your village, kind and generous to the people there... You embody all the classic Viking virtues except big, beefy arms, and your dragon makes up for those.

"But this isn't how you usually start a conversation, Snart. I think you want something from me."

"I do, sir." The young man took a deep breath. "I am asking you for Hildi's hand in marriage." The two women held their breaths, waiting for the chief's response.

"Snart, I cannot think of _anyone_ I would rather have as a son-in-law. In fact, after we crossed swords over that four-day journey, I was thinking that the only way I can keep _any_ control over you is to make a kinsman of you.

"But there's one other problem. A big problem. It's an ancient Viking tradition, one that I can't set aside. And I'm afraid it's a test which you can't pass."

"I think you mean the bride-price for a chief's daughter," Snart observed.

Germburg nodded. "The chance to take the daughter of a chief as a wife, to marry into the ruling family, is not something that should fall easily into someone's lap. You would become one of my informal advisors. If anything happened to Jackbart, you might well be the next chief. So our ancestors decided that only the best Vikings should have that opportunity, and they should prove it by offering a bride-price that proves their above-average skill at raiding, trading, and anything else Vikings do.

"For example, Coalbelly has offered me a hand-made skiff as a bride-price for Hildi from his eldest son. It's not a princely gift, but then, we're not a princely village. If you could offer me anything, anything at all, as a reasonable bride-price, I would clasp hands on the match right here.

"But I'm the chief, Snart. I know everything that goes on in this village. I know what you've got, and I know what you haven't got. To be blunt, you have nothing. You can't pass that one inescapable test. I'm sorry. For both of you, I'm sorry."

Hildi felt herself wilting; she collapsed on her mother's shoulder and tried not to cry. Rainbit looked more dismayed than Snart had ever seen her. He took a deep breath. _It's all or nothing now,_ he thought.

"Sir, you know _almost_ everything that goes on in this village. Let me show you something you _didn't_ know." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden statuette of a coiled dragon, about the length of his hand. He put it on the table before Germburg with a thud, stepped back, and waited.

For a moment, the chief was motionless. He stared at the statuette, as did everyone else in the room. Then he picked it up and hefted it; it was surely solid gold. He held it and turned it so he could see the flickering light of his lantern reflected off its polished surface. He noticed that Hildi and Rainbit were holding their breath. He slowly put it back on the table and looked up. "Where did you _get_ this?"

"I took it from Jond, as I was starting that four-day journey," Snart explained. "In all the raids I've been on, this is the only plunder I ever took."

Germburg smiled, and it wasn't his usual half-smile, but a full smile that transformed his entire face. "Viking plunder is your bride-price offer? Our ancestors would be proud of _that!_ And there's no escaping your dragons, even in your marriage proposal. Tell me, Snart, what do your parents think of this match?"

"My parents died years ago. I have no living relatives."

"Hmmm. Perhaps we can change that." He turned to his wife. "Rain, do you have any objections to your daughter marrying this man?"

"Of course not, _Kjære_. You know that!"

"Still, I had to ask. And there's one more question I have to ask. Hildi, are you willing to be this man's —"

"_Yes!_" she burst out. "I am, I do, I will! Yes!"

"Then it's settled," the chief nodded. "Snart, if you think you'll get any favors from having me as your father-in-law, think again." He motioned for the happy pair to embrace, but they needed no prompting. They were both close to laughing out loud for joy.

Germburg turned back to his wife, who looked very pleased. He just couldn't get that smile off his face. "Rain, I'm going to have to borrow your records a little longer than I thought. I need to double-check our tradesmen's production of fine fabric. It seems our daughter is going to need a wedding dress."


	68. Part 3, Chapter 1

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 1

In a small village, news of any kind spreads like wildfire, and news of the betrothal of Hildi and Snart spread faster than usual. Nearly everyone in Machen thought the world of their two chief dragon riders and were happy for them, even though both were well above the usual age for a Viking marriage. Those with a political turn of mind thought that Germburg had done wisely by taking his village's cleverest warrior into his clan, making an ally out of a potential rival. The women thought they made a fine-looking couple, even though neither of them could be called good-looking. A few families were disappointed; they had hoped to marry their sons to the chief's daughter and gain some prestige, and that opportunity was now gone. And, among those who believed that "Hildi the Horrible" would never make a good match due to her temper, a few old wagers had to be paid off.

To Snart and Hildi, none of these repercussions made any difference at all. They only knew that they would marry for love, a luxury uncommon among the Vikings and quite rare in a ruling family.

But not everyone was filled with joy. "I swear, if they make those goo-goo eyes at each other one more time, I'm going to yak!" Jackbart exclaimed one day. "It's bad enough that I have to take orders from my own sister. Now I have to put up with all that lovey-dovey nonsense that they think no one else notices."

Nagmire looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm going to remember this conversation," she decided. "Some day, when some girl is all goo-goo-eyed over you, and you're eating it up, I'm going to remind you about this, and I'm going to enjoy every _moment_ of it."

"It'll never happen," the chief's son scoffed. "When I win a girl, she'll be a shieldmaiden without one ounce of goo-goo in her entire body. Just like me. Pure Viking! It's the strong who survive."

"When I think of the things those two have survived already, I don't think a little goo-goo is going to do them any harm," Nagmire objected. "In any event, they left me in charge of the Academy today, and they told me to teach you whatever I thought was important. Today, that means saddle-up drills. I want to see how fast you can call your dragon down to the cave entrance, climb on, buckle up, and get airborne."

"And what good is that?" he demanded.

"When one of us comes back from patrol and yells, 'Raiders!' or when the chief tells us to find the fishing fleet in bad weather, we need to move fast; no excuses. So when I say 'go,' you call your dragon, I'll count one-Midgard-serpent, two-Midgard-serpent until you take off, and we'll see if you can impress me. Ready... _go_!"

Jackbart leaned out the Academy's cave entrance and whistled for his dragon, since he hadn't named it yet. The big orange Nadder flapped down and landed next to him. He clambered up onto its back, using its knee as a step, then attached both clips of his riding belt to the saddle. "Up!" he ordered, and the dragon leaped into the air with a powerful spring that laid Jack nearly flat on his back in the saddle. They circled the small island once, then landed in the cave entrance again.

"Eleven," Nagmire counted. "And I ought to add a few because you forgot to brace yourself on take-off."

"That's not fair — I'm still new at this," Jackbart protested.

"No excuses," Nagmire countered. "You've got two experienced Nadder riders to copy your moves from. For instance, why don't you train your dragon to lower his neck for you, instead of you climbing all over him? That would shave a couple of seconds off your time right there."

"Okay, Madame Teacher, will you show me how it's done?" Jack demanded, with a mocking bow.

"Gullvinge, down here, fast!" Nagmire called before she even got to the cave entrance. Her golden Grapple Grounder landed easily and arched his long neck for her. She slid into the saddle, grabbed a riding clip in each hand, and fastened them by feel. "Up, Gullvinge!" The dragon obeyed, bounding into the air almost without gathering himself first. They went straight up for a few seconds, spun vertically in what Snart called a Hammerhead Turn, and returned to the cave. "Well?" she demanded.

"Six," Jackbart admitted. "And four of them were spent waiting for the dragon. You made me look bad; are you happy now?"

"I'm not _trying_ to make you look bad," Nagmire countered, beginning to lose her cool. "But there's no point in teaching you stuff you already know. And every time you have to admit you _don't_ know something, you make everyone around you suffer. Maybe that kind of treatment doesn't bother Snart, or maybe he's used to it from you. But I don't deserve it and I don't like it, and I don't care whose son you are. Take that attitude with me again, and I'll have Gullvinge pick you up and drop you in the bay!" She took a deep breath.

"Feel better?" Jack asked, slightly taken aback.

"Much better. I've wanted to say that for a week. Now call your dragon down again, and we'll teach him to bend his neck when he lands for you." The lesson lasted until the fishing fleet came home, which meant it was time to feed the dragons. The last time Nagmire had been that eager for a lesson to end, she had been a bored student. Now she was a frustrated teacher, and she wasn't sure which was worse.

As she watched her golden dragon devouring his meal, she muttered, "The next time Snart and Hildi go for a joyride, I'm going, too."


	69. Part 3, Chapter 2

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 2

"Joyride" was actually a good name for their trip. They were flying south on dragonback, wingtip to wingtip. Wizard and Skybaby had grown accustomed to flying as a pair, and they adjusted effortlessly to changes in wind speed and direction, without any commands from their riders. This left the riders with the freedom to enjoy the ride, the view, and each other's company. They also smiled a lot.

"Is it true that Coalbelly is trying to turn my bride-price payment into a bidding war?" Snart asked out of the blue.

"Yes," Hildi laughed. "I overheard him with my stepfather two nights ago. 'If one skiff isn't enough, how about two? Three? How many, Germburg?' He doesn't get it."

"Thankfully, Germburg does," Snart nodded. "Pointing him and his men to Machen might have been the luckiest thing I ever did, except for trying to raid Machen myself."

"I was there both times, and totally unaware that I was shaping my own destiny, and yours as well," she agreed. "Life is weird."

"There's Berk," he called. "Let's find out if _our_ 'weird' is weirder than _their_ 'weird'." They circled the Academy ring once, so the dragon trainers could see them coming, then landed on the cliff and dismounted. The members of the Academy poured out like ants from a disturbed anthill to greet them.

"Snart! Hildi! Your timing is perfect!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "Hiccup was about to give us a quiz on dragon colors, and now we have an excuse to do something else."

"Dragon colors? That sounds like a hard quiz," Hildi mused.

Hiccup joined them. "Not really. I just want to make sure they know the obvious stuff, like how there's no such thing as an orange Nadder. Stuff like that."

Snart smiled at Hildi. "Do you want to tell him, or should I tell him?"

"Oops." Astrid went red and covered her mouth. "I think I forgot to tell him about that."

Hiccup didn't know who to look at. "Are you telling me you've seen an orange Nadder?" he demanded.

"We're telling you our chief's son is riding one," Snart grinned. "Want to fly up to Machen and see him?"

Hiccup sighed. "Well, _that_ quiz goes up in a puff of smoke. You might as well come on down and tell us all the news." They all trooped back into the Academy ring.

"Speaking of smoke, have you sent an expedition to the Valley of Smoke yet?" Snart began.

"Next week. We planned to go tomorrow, but my father wants us to fly south and look at the Berserker villages. He's really nervous about them; I don't know why. Now," he said with a glance at Astrid, "would one of you tell me about this orange Nadder that isn't supposed to exist?"

Snart related how Jackbart had finally trained his dragon; Astrid filled in the parts about the risk Snart had taken to make it happen. Hiccup nodded.

"Well, I'm glad for your chief's son. That gives you four dragons, plus one or two on the side, right? Pretty good for a brand-new Academy. I take it that's your biggest news?"

"Ummm, not quite," Snart said. He put an arm around Hildi's shoulder. "I am pleased to announce that the brand-new Academy has finally achieved its original goal."

The others looked at each other for several seconds, baffled. Then Astrid leaped up with a huge smile, hands clasped under her chin. "You're engaged?" she asked hopefully, saw their slight nod, and screamed, "_You're engaged!_" Pandemonium descended on the Academy. Astrid and Ruffnut siezed Hildi's hands, talking a mile a minute, while the young men showered Snart with congratulations. Their dragons, resting outside, recognized the commotion as some kind of good news, and let out a few excited roars and bellows of their own. That set off the nearby dragons in town, and within two minutes, Stoick the Vast was leaning over the edge of the Academy ring, demanding (over the roars of dozens of dragons) to know what in the names of several assorted gods was going on.

"Snart and Hildi are getting married!" Astrid shouted up to him, wiping away a happy tear or two.

"Yeah, and they're engaged, too!" added Ruffnut.

"That's the same thing," Tuffnut countered. She pushed him away, and the two of them quickly got into their usual shoving and shouting match.

Stoick smiled broadly. "Is _that_ what the dragons are making a fuss over? They have good taste! All of you, to the Mead Hall! We need to celebrate!" He half-led, half-dragged Snart and Hildi up the hill and into the Hall, while the others followed along in their wake.

"_Everyone!_ I have an announcement!" the chief bellowed. "Our young friend Snart is _finally_ taking a bride! It's Brunnhilde, daughter of Germburg, the chief of Machen!" The small crowd burst into applause. A long string of toasts, blessings, and good wishes finally ended, but then lunch was served, so of course they had to stay and share the meal with the people of Berk. It wasn't until the afternoon was half gone that they were finally allowed to leave.

"We all remember everything you did for us and our dragons while you were one of us," Stoick told Snart with a smile. "I understand why you left, and I'm pleased that you've won your lady's hand. But you know you'll always get a welcome here." He rested a hand on each of their shoulders. "Blessings on you; may you have a long and happy life together. And many strong sons." They both blushed.

Once they were alone, she asked, "Are we done here?"

"Almost. There's one more thing I want to talk to Hiccup about. Feel free to listen in." They finally located Hiccup in the smithy. He was straightening one of the bars of Toothless' tail, which had gotten bent during a rough landing.

"Hiccup!" Snart called. "It's kind of a coincidence we find you working on a dragon's tail. I've got something on my mind that will be even more challenging."

"More challenging than helping a downed dragon fly?" Hiccup asked.

"Same thing, only more so," Snart replied. He described Tarburn's maimed dragon, Stormann. Hiccup looked doubtful.

"Replacing a tail fin is one thing. But wings? A wing has to be strong enough to hold the weight of a dragon and its rider, but it has to be lightweight, it has to fold up... I don't know. Hildi, you look doubtful too."

"I don't think we should even try it," she decided. "Snart, Tarburn took that dragon because he knew it couldn't fly, so his fear of heights would never be a problem. If we somehow get the dragon into the air, it's almost like breaking our promise to him. It's not fair to Tarburn."

"There's truth in that," Snart nodded. "But have you seen Stormann whenever another dragon takes off and flies out to sea? He watches until they're out of sight. I _know_ he wants to fly again. Before you say it — no, a dragon isn't more important than a person. But if we can get that Nadder into the air again, it will mean the world to the dragon, and it doesn't mean Tarburn has to fly with him."

"I have to disagree with you there, Snart," Hiccup cut in. "I made Toothless a complete artificial tail two years ago, so he could fly without me. He rejected it. To him, flying means flying with me. Stormann is probably going to feel the same way. If he can fly, he'll want his human friend along with him. How do you explain to a dragon that someone is afraid to fly?"

"You know more than I do about that," Snart admitted. "Next time you visit Machen, just take a look at the dragon. If there's nothing you can do, then that settles it. If you think you _can_ make wings for him, then we'll talk about whether you _should_. And we'll include Tarburn in the discussion." Everyone was happy with that.

As they walked back toward the Academy, Hildi glanced at the sun. "We spent more time here than we planned. I don't think we can get to Norpi today and still get home before sunset."

"I guess not, my _Elskede_," he smiled. "We'll have to make another trip to tell Wartfoot and Mallie."

Hildi took his hand as they walked down toward the Academy and their dragons. "In the meantime, we need to get home, and find out if Jack and Naggie have killed each other yet."

**o**

A/N

_Elskede_ means "beloved."


	70. Part 3, Chapter 3

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 3

Nagmire met them in the air over Machen, and they all landed together. Germburg met them in the clearing. "Have any of you seen Jackbart?" he asked.

Nagmire spoke up. "Right after lunch, he said he was going rock-climbing. I haven't seen him since."

"He's losing the daylight," Germburg muttered. "Could one of you please fly over to the Steinete Cliffs and see if he's still there?"

"I'll handle it," Snart answered. "Jack has probably had enough of girls for one day. Skybaby, we've got a little more work to do before we sleep tonight," he explained as he re-buckled his riding belt. He glanced at Jack's orange Nadder, who was watching him. "Hey, big orange guy, do you want to come with us? Fly?" He made the flying gesture; Jack's dragon was immediately tensed to bound into the air. "Okay, both of you. Three, two, one, _up!_" Both Nadders bounded skyward. Even though Snart braced himself, that mighty leap into the air always rocked his head back.

"Skybaby, up, right. Good girl." He glanced over his shoulder; the orange dragon was right behind them. Good. He guided them toward the towering Steinete Cliffs, a bit to the north of Machen Island. That was Jackbart's favorite place to show Nature who was boss.

It took them a few minutes to locate Jack; he was wearing his black leather flying jacket, which made him hard to see against the dark-gray rocks in the fading sunlight. He was sitting on a ledge about halfway up, dangling one foot over the edge. The ledge was big enough for both dragons to land, one on either side of the chief's son.

"I suppose my father sent you to fetch me," he growled.

"It's getting dark, and no one knew where you were," Snart answered. "I came to find you, not to rescue you. By the way, do you need rescuing?"

"I slipped on the way down, landed on this cliff, and turned my ankle," Jack replied defensively. "I figured I could spend the night up here, and in the morning I'd be in good enough shape to bring myself home."

"In the morning, the whole village would have been out searching for you in a panic," Snart retorted. "The days when the chief's son could just wander off on his own... those days are over. You're too important to this little town."

"Is the lecture over yet?" Jack demanded.

"Actually, I'm just getting warmed up," Snart replied with a hint of a grin. "But I'll stop now, because your father probably has an even better lecture waiting for you at home. At least be thankful I brought your dragon with me; I could have brought your sister instead, and _she_ could have had the honor of bringing you home."

Jackbart grimaced at that. "Thank you for small favors." He stood painfully and hobbled over to his dragon. The Nadder lowered his neck.

"It galls me, but I'll also have to thank Nagmire for helping me teach this guy to bend down for me," he went on. "I don't know how I would have climbed on if I had to do it the old way." He half-hopped, half-slid into the saddle and attached his safety clips. "Rescued by Hildi... ugh! I'd never live it down. This dragon just saved my life, kind of. Up, boy!" The orange dragon sprang into the air, with Skybaby close behind.

"Livetsparer!" he suddenly shouted to Snart. "Lifesaver! _That's_ my dragon's name!"

"I've heard worse," Snart called back.

When they landed, only dragons were in the clearing; the other people had returned to the village. Snart motioned for Jackbart to wait. "Jack, can we talk man-to-man for a minute? I just want to tell you, I know you're in a tough position. You're the son of our chief; you're next in line to rule the tribe; but _everybody_ gives you orders, from your stepmother, to me, all the way down to Nagmire, a girl who's younger than you. I know you're not walking an easy road."

"So what's your solution, sir?" Snart wasn't sure if the title was sincere or sarcastic, so he ignored it.

"The long, permanent solution is to grow into a man. The fast, partial solution is to learn your stuff about dragons, as well as you can and as fast as you can. Once you catch up with Naggie, she won't be your teacher any more. If you can catch up with Hildi — which would be some trick, believe me — then not only would she not be your boss anymore, but you'd be next in line to run the Academy. The only thing that's holding you back is your insistence on challenging everything we teach you, which means you take twice as long to learn things as the rest of us do. So how about a little less defiance and a little more compliance?"

"I've watched my father in action," Jack replied. "He challenges people to make sure they're telling him the facts. Shouldn't I follow his example?"

"Yes, absolutely," Snart nodded. "He's a great example to follow. But he doesn't challenge every little thing, every single time. When something is unfamiliar, he wants all the facts so he can make good decisions. But once he thinks someone knows what he's talking about, he lets his people be the experts, and he trusts their judgment.

"Remember yesterday morning when the captain of the _Right Tern_ said he couldn't sail because the ship was leaking? Your father didn't question him on that, because that captain knows his ship, and your father knows it. He just asked how long it will take to fix, and that was that. If I tell him something about the dragons, he doesn't dispute my facts; he just wants to know how it affects him and the village.

"Your father is one of the best leaders I've ever known. I don't agree with everything he says, but if he ordered the Academy to raid Niflheim, I'd ask him what kind of plunder he wanted. Yes, Jack, follow his example, but follow _all_ of it, not just the parts that look dramatic. I'll never refuse to answer your questions, but you'll make faster progress if you focus on learning everything, instead of challenging everything."

"Until the day when you challenge me for the right to be chief," Jackbart spat back.

"What?" Snart asked, dumbfounded. "You think I'm going to do that?"

"You're the number-one hotshot warrior around here. Everybody knows it. They all love you. It's just a matter of time until you challenge me, and they'll all root for you. How is that supposed to make me feel?"

To Jackbart's astonishment, Snart began to laugh. It took him half a minute to regain control. "Jack, look at me. Look at yourself. Which one of us has the big, beefy arms and the skill with the sword? I don't even _own_ a sword! I'd be out of my mind to challenge you to a _hólmgang_. If that's what you're worried about... then it's the biggest waste of time I've ever heard of.

"The village thinks good things about me because I earned it, on the back of my dragon. But we don't choose chiefs because of their dragons. If you think that might change, you've got a dragon too. This goes right back to what I was saying before — you can be as great a dragon rider as you want to be, as soon as you get out of your own way. You can earn their good feelings, too."

Snart rested his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I'm not your rival, Jack. I have no interest in taking what's rightfully yours. I don't crave power like some men do. I've got the Academy, and my dragon, and Hildi, and that's a lot more than this dirt farmer ever thought he'd get. As long as I make your father happy, he gives me the freedom to run the Academy my way. Your success will make him happy. I have everything to gain by turning you into our best dragon trainer, and everything to lose by working against you. Think about that, Jack.

"And think about this, too. Your father will step down a long time before I will. It's in my best interest to work with you, not against you, because some day, _you're_ going to be the chief over me.

"Now get back to the village before it's too dark to find your way. Tomorrow, your project is to teach Livetsparer to respond to his new name."

"Yeah, I'll do that," Jack muttered as he hobbled toward the lights of the village.

Snart shook his head. "Skybaby, I don't know. That could have gone better. Am I losing my touch?" The dragon chuffed and rubbed her neck against him. She didn't understand most of what he said, but she was glad to be near him.

**o**

A/N

_Hólmgang_ — formal duel  
_Niflheim_ — the Norse mythical realm of cold


	71. Part 3, Chapter 4

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 4

It turned out that they didn't have to make a second trip to Norpi. As the fishing fleet came back to port the next morning, people began pointing upward and shouting, "Dragons!"

Rainbit, who was at the docks so she could get a quick count of the fish, had no difficulty locating what the people were pointing at. One of the dragons circling the town was a slate-gray Nadder; the other was a huge, bright red Nightmare. There was no mistaking that pair! The headwoman hustled from the docks to the clearing. "Toblå! We've got a quick errand to run!" The big Zippleback pressed its two heads together, allowing Rainbit to ride both necks at the same time. They lumbered into the air and half-flew, half-glided out to Academy Island.

The Academy was in session when she landed. "I don't mean to interrupt," she interrupted, "but we have company." Snart took a quick look and dismissed the Academy. Nagmire went for a joyride, Jackbart went back to his cliffs (with his dragon this time), Rainbit returned her dragon to the clearing and herself to the docks, and Snart and Hildi climbed to meet their guests.

"So you finally took us up on our offer!" Snart called. "Follow us in." They spiraled down and landed in the clearing.

"Before we get to talking," Wartfoot began, "is it okay if our dragons do a little fishing? Like we said the last time, we're having a hard time keeping these big guys fed, without any help from the town."

"Go right ahead," Snart nodded. "We've got plenty of fish, so sure — send 'em out." The two Norpi riders made the appropriate commands, and their dragons hungrily winged their way out to sea.

"If this is just a feeding visit, that's fine," Hildi suggested, "but I get the feeling there's more to it than that."

"The first thing on our minds is a mystery," Wartfoot said. "Last Snoggletog, our dragons took off on us. They gave us no warning, they just up and flew away, and then came back two weeks later like nothing happened. Do you have any idea what happened?"

"And if it's going to happen again?" Mallie added in a worried tone.

"That's not such a mystery," Snart smiled. "Every year around Snoggletog, all the dragons in this part of the world fly up to a little island in the middle of the ocean, called Lovecraft Island, and lay their eggs. They hatch within a few days, and in about two weeks, the young dragons are strong enough to fly home with their mothers. The adults also use that time for a mating flight, to get them ready for next year's egg laying. I wound up going along on that flight two years ago by accident; it was like nothing you could imagine."

"Wait... the little dragons fly home with their mothers?" Mallie asked. "So if a dragon comes home by itself, does that mean...?"

"I'm afraid it means Rødskjønnhet isn't a girl, like you thought he was," Hildi answered kindly. Mallie's face fell.

"Does this mean I have to rename her? Him?" she asked wistfully.

"I wouldn't," Snart counseled her. "The dragon doesn't know the difference between a male name and a female name, but he will notice that you're not calling him by 'his' name any more. That could upset him; he'll think you're changing the rules of your relationship with him. He's still red, and he's still a beauty, so I'd leave it. It would be different if you'd named him something like Pinky-pie." Wartfoot snorted, then looked thoughtful.

"How do you go along on that flight?" he asked.

"It's purely a matter of luck," Snart replied. "When the cloud of dragons flies overhead, every nearby dragon takes off to join them, right then and there. If you happen to be riding your dragon at that moment, you go with them; if not, you can't be fast enough to mount up before they're gone. Hiccup went three years ago, Astrid and I went the next year, and I don't think anyone got lucky last year.

"It's not much of a vacation; you eat fish and you sleep on the rocks. But you'll appreciate dragons better after you've seen that part of their lives. And those babies..." His voice trailed off and he smiled, as he remembered tiny colorful dragonets climbing into his lap to be petted. "Anyway, that's where they go on Snoggletog. I'm surprised Astrid never told you about it."

"We never asked," Mallie replied. "She's done good things for us, but we still think of you as our trainer. You brought us our dragons, and you brought us together. And that brings us to the real reason we're here today."

"You once told us that your chief would marry us if we wanted," Wartfoot continued, sliding closer to Mallie as he spoke. "Is that still true?"

Snart smiled at them, then at Hildi. "What do you think? Will your stepfather do the ceremony for them?"

"Why won't your own chief do it?" she asked.

"Our parents changed their minds about us, once they thought about dragons for a while," Mallie lamented, shaking her head. "For a few weeks, we were the village heroes; now we're almost outcasts. I'm barely welcome in my own house."

"That's against Viking law," Hildi decided. "If you'd done something to change the deal, that would be different. But once the engagement is made, nobody can back out without shaming themselves. My stepfather understands that. He won't refuse you."

"Besides, it will be good practice for him," Snart grinned. "We want him to know what he's doing when it's _our_ turn."

"Your... you mean you're... oh! Snart, Hildi, that's _wonderful!_" Mallie gave him a huge hug, then hugged Hildi while Wartfoot shook Snart's hand firmly. "Congratulations! Why didn't you tell us?"

"We meant to tell you yesterday, but we got tied up in Berk," Hildi smiled. "They threw us almost as big a celebration as our own town did. When did you want to have your ceremony?"

"No hurry," Wartfoot answered. "I'm still building a house for us. I just want to know if it can be done."

"Let's go find the chief and make sure," Snart decided. The four of them trooped into town in search of Germburg. They found him helping measure the foundations for a new fish-storage shed.

"If what you say is true, and your families are reneging on their agreement, then I would be pleased to marry you," he said with his half-smile. "We can always use a joyous occasion in this cold, gray little town. Pick an afternoon, give me a couple of days' warning, and we'll do it right. You won't mind if a few villagers watch as witnesses, will you?" They clasped hands on the deal.

As they walked back to the clearing, Wartfoot stopped. "There's one more thing, Snart. Astrid is willing to be Mallie's attendant. Will you stand beside me at the wedding?"

"Of course I will! I'd be glad to. As long as this wedding isn't going to start a feud between Machen and Norpi, of course."

"Honestly, I doubt anyone will even notice we're married, until I stop going home to my parents' house at the end of the day," Mallie said bitterly. "If they give us too hard a time, maybe we'll just move here."

"You'd be welcome, but I'm not sure you could join the Academy and be full-time riders," Snart cautioned them. "We love dragons here, but when Germburg allowed me to start this Academy, one of his conditions was that we _not_ grow so big that we're a burden on the town. He's always spoken of 'the fourth dragon rider' as sort of a final thing, so I don't think we can add any more. Do you have a trade?"

"I'm a hunter and a woodsman," Wartfoot answered. "And a warrior. Mallie won't admit it, but she has a nice touch with knitted clothing. We could earn our keep here if we had to. It would be a lot more pleasant than the baleful looks we keep getting in our own town."

"You wouldn't be the first ones who were rejected by your own town," Snart nodded. "Been there, done that, never going back. I hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does, you have options. I think I see your dragons coming this way."

"They were out there quite a while," Wartfoot agreed. "They must have been hungry. Or maybe they just like the taste of salt-water fish for a change."

"Either way, you're welcome to bring them back for more, any time you want," Hildi smiled. They exchanged another round of hugs before the Norpi riders mounted up and flew home. Snart and Hildi waved goodbye, then turned to each other.

"They're good people," Hildi said. "It's a shame their village changed their minds about dragons."

"I'm glad they came," Snart nodded. "I needed that reminder. I should start building a house for us, too."


	72. Part 3, Chapter 5

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 5

Jackbart's dragon, like most Nadders, was quite intelligent, and had no problem learning his new name. Nagmire needed a scolding after flying the length and breadth of the village upside down; she was in no danger, thanks to her riding belt and saddle clips, but some of the townspeople feared she would fall, and she caused a minor panic. Snart and Hildi agreed on a place for their new house, right next to the clearing where the dragons rested, and he began clearing the land. Rainbit had her first experience helping a fishing boat in distress when it lost its rudder; she and her big dragon were able to pull it away from the rocks and help it beach on a safe part of the shore.

In other words, life was eventful for several days, but there were no catastrophes. That delightful trend ended when a Terrible Terror flew like an arrow into the Academy cave and sank its talons into Snart's shoulder. He wore leather shoulder pads now, but he still felt some pain as he removed the note from the tiny dragon's back. It was written in haste, almost scrawled, and contained one short line, which he read out loud:

SNART, COME TO BERK NOW, EMERGENCY

"Class is dismissed," he snapped. "I have no idea what this is about, so I have no idea when I'll be back. Jack, please take this note to your father and tell him I'll be in Berk for a while, but the rest of the Academy is still on duty."

"No, it's not," Nagmire cut him off firmly. "If it's such a big emergency that Berk needs you to help handle it, then we need to be there, too. We're flying with you." Hildi nodded in agreement. After a moment's hesitation, Jack did too.

"Is this a rebellion?" Snart demanded. "You know Germburg wants at least two dragons on duty here at all times."

"Snart, you have a saying you like to use," Hildi began. "If you have to pick between a possible crisis and a real crisis, you'll choose the real one every time. The weather is fair, the fleet is in no danger, and your friends need you. We're going."

For several seconds, Snart just stared at them. "Fine," he finally said. "But we have to tell him where we're going. Let's find him." They called their dragons down and flew across the water to the village.

"No," Germburg said firmly. "You know my policy. Two dragons on duty at all times, no exceptions. You don't even know what the crisis is. They might need Snart to doctor an injured dragon; would they need the rest of you for that? I don't like sending my best rider off to another village anyway, never mind the whole Academy. Two of you stay."

Snart did his best to hide his relief; he'd thank the chief in private later. "Sir, if you'd choose the one who will go with me, that will simplify things."

The chief thought for a moment. "Jackbart. You haven't faced any real trials yet; it's time. Snart, let me know as soon as you know what this emergency is, and how long you'll be away."

"I'll do that, sir," he agreed. "Hildi, tell your mother what's going on; her dragon may be needed in case something unexpected happens. Jack, you and I have some flying to do!" They returned to the clearing at a run (Jack had to prove he was slightly faster), saddled up, and bounded into the sky.

"You've never been to Berk," Snart called. "Watch for landmarks so you can find your own way back if you have to." Jack made the 'yes' hand signal. They flew fast, and shaved about fifteen minutes off the usual time from Machen to Berk.

The harbor was choked with ships when they arrived. In addition to Berk's own fleet, there were twelve _karvis_ that wore the mark of the Berserkers. There was no sign of fighting in the town, so Snart's first fear — a raid in overwhelming numbers — came to nothing. The two Nadders landed near the Academy, which was empty except for two sleeping Gronckles that Snart didn't recognize. He and Jack dismounted and walked toward the town.

They soon met Fishlegs, who was charging toward them at a run. The big young man looked very frightened. "They need you in the Mead Hall, Snart," he panted. The Machen riders trotted to the Hall and entered the main doorway.

"Well, it's about time you got here," called a familiar voice. "It's not polite to keep a chief waiting."

Snart stared in utter disbelief.

"What's the matter, Snart?" Dagur the Deranged sneered. "You look like you just saw a dead man."

"How... how..." Snart couldn't form the words.

"When you and your friends dropped me into the ocean, you didn't do a very good job of it," the Berserker chief gloated. "No, the fall didn't kill me, although my left leg still isn't what it used to be. It turns out there was a fishing boat from Hulm just a short ways away, and they just _happened_ to fish me out of the water. Hulm has nice people, much nicer than Berk. They know how to treat a chief there."

Snart looked around the room. Dagur stood on the central table, flanked by six guards on each side. Hiccup was standing near Stoick; his face was unreadable. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were on the other side of their chief, looking very pale and frightened. Snotlout hovered near Spitelout for protection. Snart stared at Snotlout and finally found his voice. "Didn't I tell you to look for ships that might rescue him?"

"You told me to _look_ for ships," Snotlout said defensively. "You didn't tell me what I should do if I saw one."

"Anyway," Dagur continued, "now that we're all here, we can get this done quickly. Stoick, I'm a reasonable man. I ought to burn your little village to the ground in exchange for the insult you gave me, but I'm willing to be forgiving. If you hand over Snart and the two who actually dropped me, and their dragons, I'll forget the whole thing for a while."

Stoick's face clouded over. "Hand them over? For what? Your slave markets? Ruffnut and Tuffnut are still under-age, and Snart doesn't even live in Berk any more. They aren't mine to give."

"What kind of chief are you?" Dagur demanded. "When I give an order, I expect obedience. You seem to thrive on anarchy and excuses. I think Berk needs a new chief, a real chief. Someone like me."

"What about our treaty, Dagur?" Stoick demanded.

"Pieces of paper make poor shields," Dagur sneered with a wave of his hand. "If that's all you've got, then you deserve to be annihilated. And that's what my mighty fleet and my armies will do to you!" He turned and cast a deadly eye on Snart. "Your little village, too. You owe me a special debt, and if you won't give me my payback, your whole town will."

"You're forgetting something, Dagur," Snart came back, keeping his voice level. "You have armies and a fleet, but we have an air force."

"I forget nothing!" the young chief shot back. "I don't forget an insult, and I don't forget how to kill dragons, unlike you. I understand you're actually _friends_ with those lizards, those Viking-killers. They slaughtered your ancestors, and you pay them back by feeding them! That's a mistake the Berserkers will never make. My only worry is that there won't be enough dragons for all my warriors to take target practice against them!" He laughed.

"Dagur, the men and women you're demanding are Berk's faithful warriors," Stoick growled. "They have risked their lives against our enemies. If I just gave them to you, that would be more shameful than anything you've accused me of. My answer is 'no'."

"You'd rather die to the last man than give up a few troublemakers?" Dagur was incredulous.

"We'd rather fight and die like Vikings than shame ourselves and our families forever," Stoick shot back. "And we won't fall as easily as you think. Your towns are a long way away from us; mounting an invasion is not the same as launching a raid."

"Oh, yes, the distance between us," Dagur smirked. "We've taken care of that little problem. I mentioned how nice the people of Hulm are? They're so nice, they signed a treaty with us last week. They'll let us dock in their harbor, drink their water, eat their food, and mend our weapons in their forge, and in exchange, maybe we won't wipe them off the map like we did with Sag. Hulm is our advanced base now, Stoick. I will have this island!"

Berk's chief folded his arms. "Come and take it."

"Ahhh, an invitation!" Dagur grinned. "Very well, I accept. But not today, or tomorrow. I'll let you sit here and think about what's going to happen to you. Yes, that's what I'll do. And don't even _think_ about taking me captive again. My honor guards are already in your harbor, and we almost outnumber you. You'd win the battle, but you'd never withstand the follow-up attack that will be launched in four days if I don't get home first.

"Now I have to go. But I'll be back. For all of you! Especially you two —" he pointed at the twins "— and you —" he gestured at Snart. "You really should start wearing a helmet, Snart. You're going to need it. And it will make a nice trophy for my wall, once you don't need it anymore." He jumped off the table heavily, waited for his guards to climb down, and stormed out of the Hall.

Shocked silence held sway for a few seconds. It was Jackbart who spoke first. "Is that guy for real?"

"Unfortunately, he is," Snart answered. "And it sounds like he just declared a feud against Berk and Machen."

"He has," Stoick sighed. "Hiccup, what can your dragons do to protect us?"

"Probably a lot," Hiccup answered. "But there's someone here with more battle stars on his vest than I have. We should ask the expert." He gazed significantly at Snart.

"Our villages are both threatened," Snart began. "I'll fight beside you, and I'll bring the Machen Academy dragons with me. That's assuming Chief Germburg gives me the okay."

"Find out," Stoick ordered him. "Machen is small compared to Berk, but we're all small compared to Dagur's forces. We need all the help we can get."

"In that case, we need to approach Norpi as well," Snart decided. "If Dagur hates dragons that much, then as soon as he finds out about Norpi's dragons, he'll attack them too. We need a council of chiefs, and a council of dragon-riders."

"I'll find out what our fighting strength is," Hiccup agreed. "I'm sure Fishlegs has that all figured out and written down somewhere. Is it agreed that we'll all fight together?"

"It's not traditional," Spitelout objected.

"We don't have _time_ for traditions," Stoick countered. "If we can't find enough force to stop Dagur, then our villages will go down like a badly-laid row of standing stones. Hiccup, Snart, your dragons are our only hope."

There wasn't much to say after that. Snart sent Jackbart home to deliver the bad news to his father, while he flew overland to Norpi.

His meeting with Chief Hogbolt was not as fruitful as he'd hoped. "I'll believe all this when I see proof," the chief stated.

"Then send some scouts to Hulm and find out what's happening there," Snart suggested. "But don't be too long about it. When the Berserkers march, they'll crush everything in their path, and they won't wait for you to lace up your boots first." He left the town and flew over to the clearing that was becoming Wartfoot and Maldemer's home.

When they heard the news, Wartfoot's first reaction was to take Mallie's hands in his own. "I think we should get married right away," he said decisively. "Two or three months from now, we might not have a town. Or..." he left the rest unsaid. She nodded slowly.

"It's a little thing, but where would we spend our honeymoon?" she asked wistfully. "Even if it's just for a few days. Our house isn't ready yet."

"I know a place," Snart cut in. "I'll tell you the details later. I really think we need to get moving. Dagur said he'd wait, but that could be another lie."

"In that case, let's fly up to Machen and let Germburg prepare for marrying us," Wartfoot said. "We can start talking about cooperating with your dragons at the same time. We haven't done much fighting practice, but we know our dragons can hit a target."

"We'll all be joining with Berk's dragons pretty soon," Snart nodded. "Shall we get moving?" He counted down, and all three dragons sprang into the air. They made good time and reached Machen well before supper.


	73. Part 3, Chapter 6

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 6

They sat with Germburg, Rainbit, and the other riders as they ate their evening meal. "Jack tells me we need a council of war," the chief said between bites.

Snart made sure his chief had all the facts, including Norpi's reluctance and Dagur's reasons for hating Snart. "We need to get the three chiefs together, and we need to get all the dragons together. Our Academy can't do more than pinprick raids on its own, and that will never stop the Berserkers."

"I've met with Stoick before, and I'll do it again," Germburg stated. "If Hogbolt is too stubborn to see the facts, then let him lose his village. I'm thinking we've got the best of his fighting power up here already," and he glanced at Wartfoot and Mallie. "Speaking of which, is two days from now too soon for you?"

They glanced at each other and smiled. "We can do that," she answered for the both of them.

"Rain, can you get a small wedding reception together on very short notice?" was the chief's next question.

"I'll find a way, _Kjære_," she smiled, and got up to speak to some other women in the hall.

"Snart, tell Chief Stoick I'll meet with him in Berk tomorrow." Germburg was grim. "I don't like the odds against us, but we can't surrender and there's no place for us to run. The Berserkers have already taken one town and one wife from me. It will _not_ happen again, or if it does, I won't live to see it."

After the meal, Hildi pulled Snart aside. "Do you think Wartfoot and Mallie are doing the right thing?" she asked earnestly.

"I think you're really asking me if _we_ should do the same thing," he smiled back at her.

"This is going to be the toughest fight of our lives, much worse than the Jonds," she went on. "We dragon riders are going to be in the front lines, especially you — I know you. There's a good chance you'll..." She covered her face with her hands. "Snart, sometimes I think about getting married, and becoming a housewife, and having your children, and I just can't wait. Other times, it scares me to death! I thought I had a few more months to think it over and come to terms with it all. Now we don't even have a few weeks! I think about something happening to you, and I..." She shook her head and sobbed.

Snart put both arms around her waist. "My _Elskede_, we don't have a guarantee of tomorrow, even if there wasn't a war coming. Wartfoot and Mallie are doing the right thing for them, because all they have is each other.

"That's not the case with us, Hildi. You're the chief's daughter, and I'm the head of the Academy. If we act afraid in front of the whole village, that will make everyone afraid. We owe it to our people to set a good example for them."

"So that's your answer?" she asked, wiping away a tear. "Just tighten up my boots and act strong, for the sake of a bunch of people we happen to share a village with? What about us?"

" 'Us' is the biggest reason why we can't run off and get married tomorrow," Snart answered softly. "I've seen you in battle, my shieldmaiden, and I know you can take care of yourself. But I still worry about you. How could I fight the biggest battle of my life if I thought you might be carrying my son or my daughter inside you? I'd protect you, to the exclusion of all else, and I'd probably make a mistake that could cost someone his life, or even cost us the battle."

He gently lifted her chin so she was looking at him, and wiped a tear off her other cheek. "I love you, Brunnhilde Germburgdottir. And I love your people. That's why we can't do what Wartfoot and Mallie are doing. Maybe you should have married the boat-maker's son instead."

To his astonishment, she flung both arms around him and kissed him, hard but quickly. Then she pulled away for a moment before hugging him tight. "I don't want any boat-maker's son," she whispered. "And I don't really care which way you decided, as long as you're sure."

Someone cleared her throat from behind him. They broke their embrace to find Rainbit watching them, arms folded, scowling slightly.

"It's okay, Mother, we're engaged," Hildi stammered, embarrassed.

"Yes, I can see that. But engaged in _what?_" Rainbit demanded.

"It's my fault, _Frue_," Snart replied. "We were talking about our future."

"And what did you decide about your future?" Rainbit wondered.

"That we aren't going to speed up our wedding, like Wartfoot and Mallie are doing," he answered. "It would be bad for the town's morale."

"Not to mention my ability to get another reception together," she scowled. She leaned closer and whispered, "I'm glad you're so happy with each other, but half the town is watching you!" They looked around, and sure enough, there were several dozen people still in the Mead Hall, and they were all staring at Snart, Hildi, and Rainbit in the corner.

"By this time tomorrow, they'll all be talking about the Norpi riders and their wedding," Snart said dismissively. "We'll give them something to talk about, but only when the time is right." He grinned suddenly. "Like right now." He gave Hildi a quick peck on the cheek and left the Hall, ignoring the many eyes that were on him, and Rainbit's surprised gasp, and Hildi's blushing smile.


	74. Part 3, Chapter 7

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 7

The next day, five dragons left Machen for Berk. Snart flew down on Skybaby, as his town's head dragon-rider. Hildi flew next to him, as his second-in-command. Germburg and Rainbit flew on Toblå, as chief and headwoman of the town. Wartfoot and Mallie accompanied them on Sterk and Rødskjønnhet, as the head and second of Norpi's dragon contingent. They flew easily; they were in no hurry, and the Zippleback was no speedster. When they landed, the chief and his wife walked uphill to the Mead Hall, where the chiefs would meet, while the others took seats in the Academy for the dragon-riders' meeting. The ring was quite full. Everyone was very sober; there was none of the usual joking around.

"Will our chief be at this meeting?" Wartfoot asked Hiccup.

"I sent Astrid to bring him," Hiccup replied. "We don't know if he's willing to come or not. I guess we'll find out when she returns." About four minutes later, Stormfly landed on the cliffs with two riders. Hogbolt slid off and half-walked, half-ran up the hill.

"The chief isn't used to riding a dragon," Astrid explained. "He's not exactly afraid of heights, but he couldn't wait to get off."

"He doesn't know what he's missing," Mallie decided. "We offered to take him for a ride now and then; he always had more important things to do."

"Okay, we're all here," Hiccup began. "You all know the problem; the Berserkers are going to attack some time soon. We dragon riders are the first line of defense and the only real hope for Berk, Machen, Norpi, and any of the other little villages around here. Fishlegs, break down the numbers."

Fishlegs stood up. "Berk counts one Night Fury, three Nightmares, three Zipplebacks, ten Gronckles, thirteen Nadders, and the chief's Thunderdrum. That doesn't count all the Terrible Terrors, but those are only for sending messages."

"Machen adds three Nadders, one Zippleback, and one Grapple Grounder," Snart called.

"Norpi brings one Nightmare and one Nadder," Wartfoot added.

Fishlegs wrote quickly. "So that's thirty-eight dragons. Against us, we've counted about sixty ships in the Berserker fleet. We're guessing they can put at least two thousand warriors in the field —"

Gasps met that number. "Two _thousand?_ I don't think our three villages together could field two hundred!" Snotlout exclaimed.

"What about Dagur saying he had fifty thousand warriors?" Hiccup asked.

"Hot air," Fishlegs replied confidently. "He doesn't have a tenth that many, even if the children and grandmothers carry spears."

"You're sure about that?"

"Well... pretty sure," Fishlegs said.

"So it's like I said, we're going to win this with our dragons, or not at all," Hiccup replied. "Astrid, tell us what you've found."

Fishlegs sat down as Astrid took her turn in front of everyone. "My Sea Dragon riders have overflown some of the Berserker towns at high altitude. They've seen lots of target practice with spears and throwing axes, and some kind of target that might be for throwing bolas. The Berserkers have a few archers, but not many.

"We've also seen machines on wheels near their target ranges. They have a lot of them. Those are probably some kind of spear-throwing machines. They'd be hard to aim, but if they hit something, they'll kill it. We'll have to be careful around those.

"The bottom line is that they're practicing to fight both men and dragons. What we have _not_ seen is any signs that they're practicing against moving targets. So once we go into battle, Rule #1 is going to be, 'Keep moving'."

"Thank you, Astrid," Hiccup nodded. "Now I'll ask Snart to give us a quick run-down on how we're going to fight."

Snart stood. "Our position is an odd one. Because there are so few of us, we have to be very careful _not_ to get hurt, and not let our dragons get hurt. A wound won't just be painful; it will take both dragon and rider out of the battle, right when our towns need us the most.

"But at the same time, we have to remember that this is an all-or-nothing battle. If we save the dragons and lose the towns, we lose everything. So if you see a chance to score a damaging blow against the enemy, even if it means risking getting hurt, you may want to chance it. You'll each have to make that decision for yourselves. No one is going to order anybody to risk himself or his dragon."

"Tactically, the Berserkers rely on sheer numbers rather than individual skill. Their leader, Dagur, is crazy but not stupid. If we find a good way to hit them, it will work exactly once. After that, they'll come up with a defense against it, and if we hit them the same way twice, we'll take losses. We'll have to come up with an endless series of new tactics. We've got to keep hitting them, keep them off balance while we chip away at them, until they wake up and realize they don't have an army any more."

Kneebiter raised her hand. "Are we going to have to kill people?"

"_Frue_, some killing is going to be unavoidable," Snart answered. "I don't like it myself. But people are not going to be our main target, for the simple reason that there are too many of them and our dragons have a shot limit. We're going to use those shots where they'll do the most good — against ships, for instance, or against those spear-throwing machines that Astrid mentioned.

"I know the numbers are way against us, but we do have some advantages.

"One, we can fly over them and see what they're doing any time we want, and there's nothing they can do about it. So they can't surprise us.

"Two, we move so much faster than them that we can choose our place and time to strike. _We_ can surprise _them_.

"Three, we know exactly what a ship can do, and what a warrior can do, but they know next to nothing about what a dragon with a clever rider can do.

"Four, we know exactly what their overall plan is — they _have_ to use their ships to bring their warriors from the mainland to Berk. It's the only way they can win. Nothing else they do will affect us in the long run, even if they threaten Norpi or Machen. But we can make any plan we please, and they will have no idea what it might be, until we hit them with it."

"Can't anything be done to save Norpi?" Mallie wanted to know.

"We can't keep them from taking the town. But I have an idea or two that might minimize the damage. We'll talk about that when we see them headed for your town."

"What if they attack at night?" Hildi asked.

"Hiccup and Toothless own the night," Snart replied. "Toothless has superb night vision and the highest speed of any dragon. If they see trouble coming, they can race back here and gather whatever reinforcements they need. Hiccup thinks we should divide into day and night forces, so whenever the big attack comes, at least half of us will be well-rested and ready for action. If we do that, Hiccup will command the night forces, and I guess I'll be in charge of the day riders."

"Do we know when they'll attack?" Wartfoot queried.

"We don't. We're going to keep sending patrols over Hulm and along the coast. There's no sign of their fleet so far, and no evidence yet that they're coming by land. We should have at least three days' notice if they come by sea, and more if they march. As soon as we find them, we will start attacking and not stop until they retreat or are wiped out."

"Or until _they_ wipe _us_ out?" Ruffnut asked.

"That just isn't an option," Hiccup cut in. "We can't think about defeat. Sheer numbers don't always win a war."

Many had the same unspoken thought: _sometimes, sheer numbers __do__ win a war._ The meeting wound down after that.

The next day was cloudy and cold, like most days in Machen. A small procession made its way from the town to the clearing. Germburg led the way, wearing his best ceremonial clothing. Behind him, side by side, walked Wartfoot in a blue wool tunic and pants and Mallie in a pure white dress with a crown of flowers in her hair. Snart and Astrid followed them, and a small assorted crowd brought up the rear. They included the rest of Machen's dragon trainers, Rainbit, a handful of curious villagers, and Logbolt, Wartfoot's father.

Logbolt's arrival was unexpected. Astrid had flown to Norpi the day before to see if any of the bride's or groom's family was willing to come to the wedding. They all said no. But as she prepared to fly home, Logbolt changed his mind. "I hate to go against my brother's decision about the dragons and riders," he explained, "but that's my son getting married. I want to be there." Chief Hogbolt had tried to talk him out of it, and made some veiled threats about being hungry this winter, but Logbolt was firm.

To say that Wartfoot was pleased to see his father was an understatement. Mallie was happy to see him, too, but very disappointed that her own family chose not to come. As Snart stood next to the groom, he noticed that Tarburn and Nagmire were sitting together. If something was beginning to happen between those two, it was probably for the good.

Wartfoot and Mallie exchanged borrowed swords, put on their rings, and recited their vows to each other as Germburg supervised. The entire ceremony took less than ten minutes, which was typical for Viking weddings. Everyone retired to the Mead Hall; unlike the wedding, the reception would go on all day.

As sunset approached, the happy couple approached Snart. "We forgot to ask where we're spending our honeymoon," Wartfoot queried him.

"There's an abandoned farm house on the outskirts of Hulm," he answered. "It used to belong to a farmer named Snart. I check up on it now and then; no one has touched it since I left. As long as your dragons stay in the barn, no one will ever know you're there. You may have to clean it up a little, but there's firewood by the fireplace and some food in the cold-storage. And it's rent-free."

"Sounds cozy," Mallie smiled.

"You're probably the first couple in Viking history to ride to your honeymoon on dragons," he answered with a matching smile. "Let me know when you're ready to leave, and Skybaby and I will guide you there."

Logbolt's comment about his brother turned out to be an eye-opener. No one outside Norpi had realized that the village's opposition to dragons stemmed from the chief; not even Wartfoot, the chief's nephew, knew that. Snart turned this fact into a plan of action, which he sent to Hiccup via TTX. Hiccup, in turn, took it to the next chief's council.

"Snart is in the wrong line of work," Hogbolt decided. "He should have been a warrior, maybe a chief. I love this plan; we'll do it." Norpi village's destiny was decided.


	75. Part 3, Chapter 8

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 8

One day went by. Two days went by. Three, and four, and still the Berserkers did not come. A few of the more optimistic Vikings decided the whole thing was a bluff. No one who knew Dagur made that mistake.

On the second day, Snart sat down next to Rainbit as she finished her lunch. "Can you tell me about Hildi's father?"

She finished chewing her bite of fishroll. "Rotnail was a good man, a kind man, but he wasn't a good chief. He had a hard time asking others to take risks; he'd wind up doing it himself. He was constantly overworked. One night when Hildi was three, he went out with the fleet to replace a man who'd broken his arm. It was a rough night, and he'd never been to sea before. A wave washed him overboard... he was never found. I missed him, a _lot_.

"I didn't remarry, so Hildi grew up without a father. She doesn't remember having one, and she doesn't really know how to relate to one, even though Germburg has done everything he can think of to win her over. After Rotnail vanished, we had a succession of short-lived chiefs, ending with Beanrust, the one who took all our men on a raid to Hulm and lost them all, except for two survivors who stayed there. Someone had to lead the village, so all the chiefs' widows drew straws, and I won. That's how I became the headwoman, and that's why I was Germburg's first choice when he and his men moved here.

"Why do you ask?"

"I'd just like to know more about the family I'm joining," he answered. "And more about Hildi."

Hiccup flew up to Machen on the third day, along with the twins and their Zippleback. He wanted them to learn the way, and he wanted to look at Stormann's wings.

The big Nadder was willing to spread his mutilated pinions on command. Hiccup winced at the sight. "I know you warned me in advance, but it still hurts to see this. Who could _do_ this to a dragon?"

He ran his hands along the wing bones, and took some measurements with a strip of fabric that had markings at regular intervals. He compared them with Wizard's wings. He paced back and forth and went "Hmmm" a lot. Finally, he turned to the Machen riders.

"I don't think I can make new wings for him. I could fit him with something that he could glide with, but it would fold up and collapse as soon as he tried to flap. The real problem is how to attach something to his existing wings and make it stay there."

"I guess I didn't realize how complicated a dragon wing is," Snart admitted.

"It's very complicated," Hiccup nodded. "But so is our hand, and we don't spend much time thinking about that, either. It was a good idea, Snart. Nobody can be right all the time. They say even the gods mess up now and then."

"If I have to mess up, I'd rather do it here and now, where nobody gets hurt," Snart nodded. "And I wouldn't want to be a god anyway. There are too many jerks asking for favors in prayer." That drew a few chuckles.

"There's one more thing, Snart," Hiccup added. "We've had an incident where someone tried to steal our Book of Dragons. You might want to make sure your copy is secure."

"I'll do that," Snart agreed. "I'll see if someone in the village has a locking wooden chest that they aren't using." Hiccup rounded up Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who were deep in conversation with Jackbart, and they flew back to Berk.

On the fifth day, two of Berk's fishing boats didn't come home. A third reported that they'd been pursued by a Berserker ship intent on boarding, and only a lucky shift in the wind had enabled them to escape.

"They're probably raiding us out of Hulm," Snart suggested. "I say we send out dragons with the fishing fleet from now until the real battle begins. If they try to take any more of our ships, they'll get a fiery little surprise."

"Stoick doesn't want us to provoke any incidents," Hiccup protested.

"The Berserkers have already provoked the incidents, Hiccup. It's past the time to turn the other cheek; now we have to smack them right back, or they'll take it as a sign of weakness. Not to mention we'll run out of fishing boats."

"I'll run it by my dad," Hiccup nodded reluctantly. The next day, some of Berk's Sea Dragons flew along with the fleet. Three Berserker ships appeared and tried to capture Berk's boats; two of the intruders were sunk and the third rowed home without a sail. The Berserkers made no more attempts to raid Berk's fishing fleet.

Two days after that, Berk's scouts found signs that the Berserkers were on the march. It looked like half their strength was advancing up the coast, while the other half would move by sea.

"It's started," Stoick sighed. "This will be the biggest waste of men and treasure in the past hundred years."

"What's the plan, Hiccup?" Germburg asked.

"Snart says our first targets on land should be those spear-throwing machines," Hiccup answered. "Once we take those out, we'll have complete freedom of the air. He's planning the first strike, which is going in tomorrow at sunset."

In Berk's Academy, the dragon riders gathered the next morning. Snart had stuck Hiccup's hand-drawn sketches of the spear machines all over the walls so the riders could see what they looked like.

"This is the business end," Snart explained. "If you see that pointed at you, duck! Ideally, you want to come up on them from behind, which is this side. Blow the machines to bits; if you take out any of the crew, that's incidental. Don't fly too low – remember, they have other weapons that can hurt a dragon besides these machines.

"The Zipplebacks will come in from behind them and hit them first. As soon as the enemy sees them coming and starts to point everything to the rear, the rest of us will sweep in from the front and hit them hard. Zip riders, don't take any chances; hit them _once_ and get out of there.

"If you can't shoot any of those machines, shoot any other decent-sized targets, like wagons or large tents. This is our first strike of a long war, so _don't_ take any risks. 'Shoot and scoot' is the rule for today. Come straight back to Berk as soon as you break off the action. The section leaders will give you orders on where to fly. Any questions?"

"Why aren't we hitting the supply wagons first?" Jackbart asked.

"Excellent question. The supply wagons are actually our number-one target. But we're not focusing on them tonight for two reasons. One, I want to get those spear machines quickly, before they can hurt any of our dragons; and two, if we shoot their supplies while they're still close to home, they might just turn back, get some more wagons, and try again. I want to take out their supplies once they're too far out to go back, so they have to press on without all their food, extra weapons, and so on."

"Those are both good reasons," Jack nodded.

"I'm glad you approve. Any other questions? Okay. Make sure your dragons are fed and ready to flame. We'll meet here, three hours after high noon, and take off shortly after that."

Early that afternoon, Hildi caught up with Snart in between meetings with the chiefs. "Snart, are you doing okay?"

"I'll be fine once we get in the air," he answered. "It's the _waiting_ that gets to me. How about you?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. About you. You'll find a way to be in the front lines, no matter what the plan says."

"Don't worry, my _Elskede_," he smiled. "This will be like the Jond raid, just a little bigger."

"The Jond raid almost killed you, if you recall," she reminded him, laying her hands on his shoulders.

"Hildi, my shieldmaiden, fate has given me the most battle stars, so they're trusting me to make the attack plans. We need every dragon, so I have to be in the air, even though Astrid is in charge of the Nadders. I have to do what I have to do. As long as I know you've got my back, I'll be fine."

"I've got your back," she sighed. "You just watch your front." They kissed quickly and returned to their preparations.

The attack was a success. The Zipplebacks caught the spear-throwing machines in a tight marching formation and were able to blast at least thirty of them with a few gas clouds. When the machines' crews tried to aim them at the retreating Zipplebacks, the rest of the dragons hit them from the other direction and nearly wiped them out. The only casualty was a Nadder whose wing got hit by a spear when it flew too low over the foot soldiers.

"Snart, I know you're planning the next raid," Hiccup said apologetically, "but we have other people who can plan raids, and you're our only dragon doctor." Snart nodded, and worked with the Nadder's rider to stitch up the wound. The dragon would probably be ready to fly again in two days.

On the following day, the Berserker fleet was found headed up the coast. The first half of the attack plan was Snart's and the second half was Jackbart's, and both halves worked well. Snart had predicted that many of the ships would have spear-throwers on board, which would probably be aimed forward, so he ordered all attacks to come in from the sides and rear. The Berserkers lost thirty-one ships, with many others damaged and turned back. The dragon riders took their first loss that day — a Gronckle was brought down into the sea with a bola, and the sailors threw spears at dragon and rider until both were gone. No dragons were hit by the spear machines, but three were hurt by arrows. Snart stayed up late that night, mending and comforting the wounded dragons.

"I feel like I spend half my time inflicting injuries, and half my time healing them," he mockingly complained to Hiccup.

"We're glad for both," the younger man nodded.

The third raid was aimed at the land armies' supply wagons. It started well, with half the dragon force swooping down from the west, and the other half zooming in from the east as soon as the first was clear of the battlefield. This kind of shooting was what Gronckles were best at, but all the dragons flew, in case one of them saw a target of opportunity. Rainbit and Germburg saw one.

They were both riding on Toblå; it was Germburg's first exposure to dragon fighting. He saw a tent that looked like a headquarters and pointed it out to his wife, who directed the dragon to swoop on it. Just as Toblå was about to ignite his gas, one of the last spear machines fired from the cover of some trees. The big, slow-moving dragon was an easy target. The spear hit him in the side, just under the wing.

Both heads screamed, and the Zippleback plunged earthward. He used the last of his strength to land as gently as he could; then the light in his eyes went dim and faded out. Rainbit landed fairly gently, but Germburg jumped off too soon and knocked himself half-senseless. The Berserker soldiers in the area saw the dragon fall and closed in, hoping to kill or capture some of the hated dragon riders.

Jackbart saw the dragon fall, too. "Dad!" He whirled his dragon around and plunged earthward.

"Jack! Get back in formation!" Snart shouted. The orange Nadder swooped down and landed near the fallen Zippleback. The rider dismounted and drew his sword, and between them, they tried to hold off a company-sized attack.

"_Torden og lyn!_" Snart cursed. "We can't leave them there. Nadder riders, land down there in a semicircle and help him!" Snart's section of eight dragons, minus Jack, landed swiftly. Snart began snapping out orders.

"Wartfoot, we've got too many on the left and not enough on the right — get over there and fill that hole! Everyone, use all your shots, use your spines, everything, don't hold back! Jack, fall back and get your father out of here! I've got your stepmother!" He ran over to Rainbit, who was clinging to one of the dragon's ugly heads.

"Snart, help him! You're the dragon doctor! Please! Do something!" Rainbit wasn't the crying type, but tears were forming in her eyes.

"Rain, I'm sorry. I can't raise the dead. I have to get you out of here, _now!_" He had to nearly drag her away. He saw Jackbart lift off with Germburg behind him; good. He got Rainbit settled on his saddle and shouted, "All Nadder riders, up and home!" Skybaby, heavily loaded, jumped up and began flapping.

One of the Berserkers saw an easy target and threw a bola at them. They were too low and too slow to dodge it. All Snart could do was shout, "Rainbit, duck!" It missed her, but one of the heavy balls smashed into his face. He went limp in the saddle.

"Snart, are you okay? SNART! Skybaby, get us home _fast!_" Rainbit begged. Skybaby knew what 'fast' meant. The entire wing of Nadders strained to keep up with her.

Overhead, the other Zippleback riders had been watching the action with concern. Ruffnut, in particular, had kept an eye on Jackbart, fighting valiantly by himself to protect his parents. She always denied it later, but Tuffnut was sure she had murmured to herself, "What a man!"


	76. Part 3, Chapter 9

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 9

When Snart awoke, his head felt split in two, and everything was blurry. He could tell he was in Berk's Mead Hall, but not much more. He reached for his face; someone held his hands down. It was Hildi.

"Why can't I see right?" he asked. His mouth felt dry and tasted terrible.

"You got hit in the face, Snart," she answered with a quaver in her voice. "Be strong. There wasn't anything the healers could do." She released his hands, and he reached for his face.

His right eye was patched.

He lay that way for two minutes without moving, trying to breathe normally, trying not to panic. "You're still handsome to me," she said with a forced smile.

"Well, you look as beautiful through one eye as you used to look through two, so that means you must be twice as beautiful now," he answered. She blushed. "What's going on with the war?"

"Hiccup, Nagmire, and the Gronckles are getting ready for tonight's raid. Our scouts found the rest of the Berserker fleet in Hulm harbor, and we're going to give them a spanking."

"I need to get ready," he muttered. Hildi forced him to lie down again; she used a bit more force than she'd meant to.

"Wrong, Snart! The Nadders aren't flying tonight, and you just took a bad hit to the head. You've been grounded. Healer's orders, and Hiccup's orders too."

"Hildi, my section will need me in the morning. I need to meet with them now!"

"Snart, you can only see out of one eye! You can't judge distances properly now, and that can be _fatal_ in a fight, especially in the air. Hiccup says your dragon-fighting days are over."

He shook his head, and immediately regretted it; it made his headache worse. "All these years, I've been telling people to trust their dragons, trust their dragons. Why can't I trust my dragon to tell distances now?"

"It's not _just_ about the distances," Hiccup interrupted as he arrived. His voice dropped to a murmur as he knelt by Snart's bed and stared intensely into his eye. "Most of our riders aren't Academy people, and they aren't good at following orders. People are doing whatever they want in the middle of a battle, and that's why riders and dragons are getting hurt all over the place. I need you to set a good example and do what you're told. Please, Snart. Will you do it for me?"

Snart took a deep breath and let it out. "For you, all right. Are my fighting days really over?"

"Only in the air. We still need you for planning, and there's a long line of dragons who need doctoring. We got beat up pretty bad on that last raid."

"So I noticed," Snart muttered. "Hildi, can you give me anything for this headache?"

"Drink this, slowly." He sat up and drank it; it was mead mixed with something. He was asleep in five minutes.

"Man, I hate to lose a fighter like him." Hiccup shook his head and sighed deeply. "Hildi, let him sleep. But as soon as he wakes up, I need him to start fixing hurt dragons. That's going to be his biggest contribution now. Getting four or five dragons back in the fight is worth a lot more than him on one dragon. If he needs to talk to somebody about losing a part of himself in battle, call for me."

Snart slept for three more hours, but when he awoke, there was a need more pressing than injured dragons. Germburg came to his bedside.

"I was really impressed with how you handled that battle. I'm going to be proud to call you my son-in-law... I'm sorry about your eye. But can you say something to Rainbit? She's totally broken up over losing her dragon. She just sits there; nothing I can say has any effect."

"I'll try, sir." He found her in a corner of the Hall, sitting in a chair, staring silently at the floor. He sat next to her in silence for a few seconds.

Finally, he spoke. "Talk to me about Toblå."

For a moment, she made no response. Then, without looking at him, she said, "He was the goofiest thing. Sometimes both his heads would fight over the same fish, even though one didn't want it, just because they knew it made me laugh. He learned everything so fast, and he was always so happy to see me! Sometimes he'd sit outside the Hall and wait for me to come out, and stick one head in the door, and..." The floodgates opened; tears streamed down her cheeks. "It's so unfair!" She broke down sobbing.

Snart awkwardly embraced her and let her cry on his shoulder. "Just let it all out," he whispered. "I know you miss him. I know how it feels to lose a dragon." She cried for ten minutes before she began to regain her composure.

"I'll take over from here," Germburg said quietly; Snart hadn't seen him join them. "Thank you. I think you have some dragon patients to attend to now."

He worked far into the night, mending torn and punctured wings, stitching up wounds from thrown axes, comforting shocked riders. He had to go slower than usual because he wasn't used to working with only one eye; it really threw him off. One Gronckle had taken two deep spear wounds, and there wasn't anything Snart could do except keep it knocked out with dragon-nip grass until it quietly expired. When he finally went to bed, he slept for nine straight hours; no one woke him.

He didn't catch up with Hiccup the next day, because Hiccup was now on a night schedule to take best advantage of Toothless' abilities. Nagmire was his wingwoman because their dragons' speeds and fire attacks were closely matched; the two dragons seemed to have forged a truce with each other, now that they had a common enemy to fight. According to Spitelout, they had done some good work against the Berserker fleet last night. Toothless fired the first shots, and the resulting fires gave Gullvinge and the Gronckles enough light to see their targets. The Berserker navy had pretty much ceased to exist. But they still had a huge force on land — not a well-fed or well-equipped force, but huge nonetheless.

He didn't see Jackbart anywhere, either. Germburg had thanked his son for saving his life, and then given him a long, not-so-friendly talk about disobeying orders. The chief's son was probably sulking somewhere.

Stoick met Snart outside the Mead Hall. "I'm sorry about your eye, Snart. I have to admit, you look a lot more like a warrior now! How's your head?"

"It still hurts, but not bad," Snart admitted. That was kind of the truth.

"I have a special mission for you. Our scouts have found a Berserker column headed for Norpi. I need you to fly Chief Hogbolt back to his town to direct the defense."

"I can do that if Gothi clears me to fly," Snart replied.

"_I'm_ clearing you to fly. He's got to get back there, and the fighting dragons are all away raiding Hulm this morning. If you think you can do it safely, I trust your judgment."

Snart considered. "Then if Hildi clears me to fly, I'll do it."

Stoick thought that was funny. "Taking orders from a woman already, eh? She's getting you trained early! But she's away on that raid, so you can't ask her until later today, and you need to get going."

Snart felt a cold spear in his heart. Hildi had gone into battle? Without him? Suddenly he learned new depths in what 'fear' means. "When are they due back?"

"In about an hour. I'd like to let you wait until then, but if Hogbolt is going to put your plan into effect, he needs to get back to Norpi now. And I mean _now_."

"All right, Chief. Tell Hogbolt I'm ready to leave immediately."

Norpi's chief was still uncomfortable riding a dragon, but he admitted there was no other way. They flew mostly in silence. As they approached Norpi, Hogbolt finally spoke. "Thank you for the ride. And also for the battle plan."

"You're welcome, sir. Is there any chance you'll ever be a little more friendly toward dragons?"

"Snart, I spent all my life fighting dragons. All my _life!_ I've lost family members and friends to them. I can't get past that. I tried, I really did. Maybe the next generation will grow up without that, and Norpi will be as dragon-friendly as Berk is. But as for me..." He let the thought trail off.

They landed, and Hogbolt hit the ground running. "They're coming! Gather everyone to the Mead Hall!" Snart waved and flew home uneventfully as the village of Norpi prepared to defend itself.

Every able-bodied person rushed to the Mead Hall and began manhandling the key point of Snart's plan: barrels, casks, and kegs of ale, mead, and anything else that was potent to drink. Some of it came from Norpi; the rest had been flown in by dragons from Berk and Machen. Every house and every building of any importance got at least one keg. Then the people filtered into the forest.

When the Berserkers reached the town two hours later, they were hot, tired, and thirsty. Most of their supply wagons had been flamed days ago; they had little beyond what they could carry. When the looting began, they quickly found the liquor, and any attempts by their leaders to maintain control quickly evaporated.

It was normal for attacking Vikings to put a town to the torch if they didn't mean to stay there. But who would burn a building that still had a cask in it? A few homes and buildings went up in flames, but the great majority were left intact as the attackers helped themselves to the liquid booty.

Around midnight, the dragons struck. Snotlout was in charge of the Nightmare wing, but Mallie was giving the orders tonight because she knew the town and the land around it. Snart had suggested using the Nightmares to inflict maximum terror on the drunken Berserkers, while using the smallest number of dragons in order to keep Hogbolt happy. The huge dragons made one pass over the town; they flamed tents, clusters of intoxicated men, and the few remaining supply wagons. Then they were gone.

While the stunned, drunken attackers' eyes were still on the sky, Norpi began to fight back. The town had a tradition of raiding, and its warriors were woodsmen and farmers who knew the land. They were badly outnumbered, but that didn't matter when they weren't seeking pitched battle. A small party would appear out of the darkness, strike down a few drunk Berserkers, and fade back into the night. Then they did it again, and again. By morning, the invading army had been decimated and was staggering in full retreat back toward the main Berserker force. Norpi casualties were very light.

Wartfoot flew out to his home town that morning, and brought back the good news to Berk. This set off a round of celebrations; it was the first time the Berserkers had been set back, rather than just being slowed down.

"I'm glad for Norpi and for Hogbolt," Stoick decided, "even though I don't completely trust the man. He never even offered warriors for the common defense, like Machen has done. But any black eye for Dagur is good news to me."

"Sir, since I'm cleared to make deliveries, can I fly up to Machen this morning?" Snart asked. "I've treated all the injured dragons, and it will do my people good to hear about the victory. I can be back before tonight's raid goes out."

Stoick gave his approval. Germburg gave him a note to read to the women, children, and seniors who remained in the town. And Nagmire shyly gave him a personal note for Tarburn. Jackbart, who had finally rejoined the other riders, made some quiet comments about fearful men flying away from the battle, but no one paid him much attention.

When he returned, Germburg met him on the cliffs, eager for news of his village. Snart looked pale and haunted. "Sir, gather your family. I only want to say this once." Machen's chief quickly rounded up Rainbit, Hildi, and Jackbart. Stoick, Hiccup, Astrid, and several others followed them to hear what Snart had to say. They knew it would be bad, but they didn't know how bad.

Snart told them. "Machen is gone. Burned to the ground. A couple of dozen Berserkers must have forced-marched up there, built some rafts, and crossed to the island during the night. Every building is ruined or badly damaged. They didn't even pillage; they just burned. This is Dagur's payback for what I did to him."

After a painfully long pause, Germburg asked, "What are our losses?"

"In people, very light. Our warriors are all here, of course. The women, children, and most of the elderly hid in the Academy cave. Old Beanbow said he'd rather die than watch his town be destroyed. They slaughtered all the young dragons from Skybaby's last clutch. And... we lost Tarburn and Stormann. The dragon couldn't get away, and the rider wouldn't leave his dragon. They killed at least eleven Berserkers and wounded several others before they were overwhelmed."

Rainbit was hiding her face in her hands, fighting sobs. Hildi was shaking, but trying hard to look strong. Germburg and Jackbart just stared at the ground. Stoick laid a strong hand on Germburg's shoulder.

"Your town's sacrifice will _not_ go for nothing," he growled.

"Tarburn will get a hero's funeral," Germburg said to no one. "Maybe he was only a basket maker's apprentice, but he was a true Viking warrior."

Astrid stood beside Snart. "Bringing us this news must be one of the hardest things you've ever done."

Snart shook his head. "No," he said softly. "No, that part comes next. Hildi, will you walk with me? I have to... I have to tell Naggie about Tarburn." He buried his face in his hands, awkwardly hitting his eye patch, and sobbed, "Oh, _gods_, war is Hel!"


	77. Part 3, Chapter 10

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 10

Snart's report was disturbing in more ways than one, especially to Stoick. He'd called a council of war to discuss this bad news. "If they can build rafts that quickly, then they can still get from the mainland to Berk, even though their fleet is gone."

"Rafts are tough targets for a dragon, Dad," Hiccup nodded. "They're small, hard to hit, and hard to sink. They could swarm us; we wouldn't have enough shots to get them all, even if we were at full strength. And we've lost some dragons and some riders."

"What are your dragons going to do next?" Germburg asked.

"There isn't anything we can do right now," Hiccup replied. "The Berserkers are moving through the forests now; they're scattered and hidden. They won't be targets for dragons again until they try to cross the straits and land on Berk."

"It sounds like we need some kind of miracle," Spitelout commented. Several heads craned around to look at Snart.

"Oh, please, don't pin your hopes on me," he stammered. "I don't do miracles on command."

"It doesn't have to be a big miracle," Hiccup suggested with a smile. "We just need something to get us moving in the right direction."

"Well..." Snart began, "the only idea I had is that we can't beat them head-on, so maybe we shouldn't try. What if we just took out Dagur?"

"Again?" Hiccup wondered.

"I don't know how we'd do that," Stoick countered. "He's somewhere in the forest with all his men; he could be under any of a thousand trees. And even if we did get him, he's probably chosen a second-in-command who's just as warlike as he is."

"I could curse Oswald the Agreeable for unleashing that horror on the world!" Rainbit added heartily.

"Wait a minute," Snart exclaimed. "Dagur said Oswald retired, right?"

"Yes," nodded Stoick, "but I'm sure it wasn't because he _wanted_ to retire."

Hiccup was suddenly staring at the young man next to him. "Snart? I _know_ that look..."

Snart leaped to his feet. "Sirs, if you don't need the dragons for raiding today, I need to find Hildi. Hiccup, get Astrid. It's time we tried something crazy." He left the room at a run.

Hiccup looked at the chiefs, who were staring in confusion at the door where Snart had just left. He gave them a crooked grin. "I think you just ordered one miracle, to go. Do you want fries with that?"

The four of them were soon high in the air, headed south. "Remember, keep your eyes open for a building, or maybe a cave, with armed guards in front of it," Snart called.

"If the Berserkers are on a war footing, wouldn't _every_ important building be guarded?" Hildi asked.

"All their forces are in the field," Snart answered. "They won't leave anyone or anything important behind. So there shouldn't be anything left that's worth guarding, unless I'm right."

"If you don't mind my asking, why us?" Astrid wondered.

"I would have liked to take my own Academy people, because I'm used to working with them. But Naggie is still taking Tarburn's death hard, and her dragon isn't a long-range flier. And Jackbart... I can't count on him to take orders. We're flying deep into enemy territory; I want people at my back whom I can trust with my life."

"Hiccup isn't exactly used to taking orders from you, either," Hildi pointed out.

"_He's_ taken plenty of orders from _me_," Hiccup replied. "Fair is fair, just for once."

They passed over the burned ruins of Sag village, Germburg's home town, now an abandoned monument to Berserker fury. Snart and Hildi both looked down on it sadly and glanced at each other. Each knew what the other was thinking: would Germburg try to rebuild Machen?

The first Berserker village they explored seemed almost deserted. A few women were doing chores, but there were few other signs of life. The second was equally devoid of normal village life.

The third was similar, except for one small house set back from the rest of the village. From the air, they could see a row of four guards at the front door. "I'm starting to think you're right, Snart," Astrid called. They glided in and landed in the small yard in front of the house.

All the windows were boarded up, and no smoke arose from the fire-pit roof vent. That was odd, for a building that needed to be guarded. The guards were all women. They were startled at the sudden, silent appearance of four big dragons with riders, but held their ranks and readied their weapons.

"Step aside and let us through," Snart ordered.

"None shall pass," the leader of the guards retorted.

Snart pointed. "Skybaby, fire line, right there! Fire!" The Nadder laid a scorching line of flame in front of the guards' boots, just close enough to set them on fire. They quickly took off their smoldering footwear and stood their ground, barefoot.

"Sorry; he lost his eye just a few days ago, and his aim is still off," Hildi mock-apologized. "Should he try again, or will you step aside?"

"We have orders," the leader answered, not quite as bravely as the last time.

"Orders from who?" Astrid asked, her face hard.

"Our chief, of course," the guard replied.

"I think you're wrong," Snart shot back. "Stand aside and let us through, and we'll prove it." When they didn't move, he slowly ordered, "Skybaby..."

"Let them through!" another guard exclaimed. "Whoever is in there, he's not worth dying for!" After a moment's hesitation, they all stepped aside.

"You can't get in anyway," the leader said. "It's locked, and they only unlock it to put food in."

"Not a problem," Snart said with a smile. "Hiccup, would you like to do the honors?"

"I would love to! Toothless, please open that door." The Night Fury opened his mouth for a moment; a small, bright fireball shot out and blasted the door into a hundred smoking fragments. If the guards were still considering some kind of resistance, that ended it.

After a moment, they heard motion from inside. A man stepped out. He was middle-aged, thin, unkempt, and dressed in rags, but he walked proudly. He blinked in the sunlight and gazed around him. To his left were four shieldmaidens in Berserker armor, armed but barefoot, staring at him in shock. In front of him were two thin, battle-scarred young warriors and two more shieldmaidens, all of them riding dragons — _dragons!_ — and all watching him.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on here?" he demanded.

Snart stepped down from his dragon. "Chief Oswald, we're taking you for a ride. We'll explain once we're in the air."

A few hours later, the sawing and hammering in the Berserkers' war camp was disrupted by a blast of sound like they had never heard. Leaves and pine needles were stripped from the trees; men covered their ears in agony. Then, just as suddenly, the sound stopped.

Into the center of the camp, a dragon flew and landed. It was like no dragon the Berserkers had ever seen before; it had a wide, toothy mouth and a relatively narrow body. It carried three men: Stoick, its rider; Germburg, his witness; and Oswald, looking considerably more chief-like in borrowed clothing. Word spread like wildfire through the camp — "Oswald!" "Chief Oswald!" "Oswald is back!" No one tried to stop them as they strode through the camp until they found a tent with a chief's flag flying on top.

"Dagur, my boy! Come out here at once!" the older man ordered. The young chief swaggered out of his tent, curious who would dare to disturb him in such a tone of voice.

"Father! What are you doing here?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"I am taking my tribe back," Oswald replied.

"But you can't do that," Dagur smirked. "You resigned, of your own free will."

"Threats of poison in my food are _not_ free will," the chief shot back. "I don't know where I went wrong with you, Dagur, but the Berserker tribe is not a toy for you to play with."

"I am making us great again!" the young man protested.

"Great?" Oswald almost shouted. "My navy has been wiped out. My army has been cut almost in half. And you haven't even begun to attack your true goal yet! May Odin save me from any more such 'greatness'!"

"Then why did you build that huge navy? Why did you equip such a big army, and build all those spear-throwers, if you didn't mean to use them?"

"I made us strong in case the Wild Men of the North chose not to renew their treaty with us," Oswald scolded. "_They're_ the threat, you hot-headed young idiot, not Berk!"

"Then why did Berk raise an army of dragons?" Dagur demanded. "Have you seen what those dragons did to my — I mean our army and our navy?"

"I've seen what they did to defend themselves against you," Oswald replied. "If you stick your hand in a beehive, there are consequences. I understand that principle; apparently, you don't. I thought you might be ready to rule, but you've proven that you aren't. Guards! Take this boy away, treat him well, but guard him well!"

"No!" Dagur shouted. "Guards, arrest that doddering old fool and take him back to his retirement home!"

The guards looked confused; they glanced from one chief to the other and back. Dagur lost his patience. "If you won't arrest him, then I will!" He grabbed a halberd from the nearest guard and rushed at Oswald.

Suddenly Stoick stepped up on Oswald's right side, with fire in his eyes and his war hammer in his hand. On his left side, Germburg also stepped forward, and his sword rang as he drew it. Oswald just stared into his son's eyes. Dagur stopped, glared back, glanced at the other two chiefs, and whined, "Oh, come on, this isn't fair!"

"Guards! You know who your rightful chief is. Take my son away." Oswald watched sadly as his son's hands were tied and he was led off. The other two chiefs slowly relaxed.

The Berserker chief turned to them. "Thank you both for your help in giving me my tribe back. This war is over, _now_. I'm sorry for your losses; I can't offer reparations because we've taken an even worse beating ourselves. But our forces will return to our own villages immediately, and you will not see us again until we restore our treaty of peace."

"Thank you, Oswald," Stoick said. "I'm glad we could stop this before it went any further. Please keep a close eye on Dagur this time?"

Oswald shook his head. "Kids today. What can you do with them?" He moved off, giving orders, greeting a few older warriors whom he recognized.

"I think we're done here, Stoick," Germburg nodded.

"We are. I think that's the first time Oswald the Agreeable ever got disagreeable. I wish we could have stopped them before... well, you know. Let's get back to Berk."

They returned and spread the news that the war was over. It wasn't technically a victory, but the fact that they had survived was good enough. A great celebration broke out in Berk's Mead Hall that night, with the dragon-riders the guests of honor. Germburg noticed that his son spent quite a lot of time with Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

After an hour or so, Hildi sought out Germburg. "Father, what are we going to do? Stoick says Berk will take us in, if we want."

"The Berserkers took away one village from me," the big man rumbled. "They will _not_ do it again. We will rebuild."

"Can we rebuild in time for winter?" she asked.

"We will," the chief answered firmly. "Maybe Berk will loan us some woodworkers, since they aren't needed to repair any damage here. But our village _will_ grow back. There is no 'if'."

In a far corner, Snart, Rainbit, and Nagmire sat by themselves, silent and somber. Gobber noticed them and pointed them out to his chief. Stoick quietly replied, "Let them be. They're the ones who paid the price for our freedom. Maybe they'll celebrate some other day."


	78. Part 3, Chapter 11

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 11

The work of rebuilding Machen was exhausting for everyone. Even with help from Berk, and with the dragons helping with the heavy lifting, there was too much to do and not enough people to do it. Winter was approaching fast, the fishermen had to keep fishing in order to feed everyone, and the remaining men and women were running ragged as they tried to repair houses, tradesmen's shops, and storage buildings before the snows hit.

Chief Germburg called a meeting in his home for the people he trusted for advice — Rainbit as his wife and headwoman, Jackbart as his son and heir, Snart as his head dragon rider and future son-in-law, and Hildi as his daughter. "Is there anything else we can do to get things repaired faster?" he asked.

"I don't think anyone can work harder than they already are," Rainbit answered. "Even the children are fetching nails and dragging away small debris. We have a slight surplus of fish, but I don't dare take any sailors off the boats; we may need those fish before winter is over."

"Agreed. Snart? You're the one with all the ideas."

"Sir, the people are tired in their hearts, not just in their arms. They didn't see any of our victories; all they see is defeat all around them. They need something to lift their spirits."

"Are you suggesting we stop working and throw a party?" Rainbit asked doubtfully.

"I'm suggesting that Hildi and I move our wedding up a few months. Summer is too far away to make a difference right now. It wouldn't take anyone off the work details, and it would give everyone something to look forward to."

"Snart, you never cease to amaze me," Germburg smiled. "That's an excellent idea! Rain, is there any reason we can't do that?"

"It means I'll have to plan faster, but I'm all for it — I can see the benefit," she nodded.

"Yeah, so can I," Jackbart added sarcastically.

"What do you mean by that?" the chief asked slowly, his eyes narrowing.

"Everybody knows there's only one reason for moving up a wedding," Jack answered snidely, glaring at Snart. "And as soon as Hildi's belly starts to show, I will personally —"

The room erupted. Everyone was shouting something. Snart nearly leaped at Jackbart, but Germburg held him back; Hildi lunged at the chief's son with murder in her eyes, but her mother jumped between them and held her off, while loosing some choice comments of her own at Jackbart. Jack was startled, but undeterred. He laid his hand on his sword.

"What's the matter, Snart? Are you claiming insult on me?"

Before Snart could answer, Germburg cut him off. "He isn't claiming insult, _I_ am. You have shamed your own family with that accusation! Take it back, or I'll call you out in front of the entire village."

For several long seconds, nothing happened. Then the chief's son relaxed. "I take it back. It didn't mean anything."

"It certainly did, young man," the chief growled. "A sharp tongue can be as deadly as a sharp sword, and until you learn that lesson, you will _never_ rule this tribe."

"No? Who are you going to give it to? _Him?_"

Germburg looked at his son, then at Snart. "I could do worse. This meeting is over." Everyone got up to leave, but Rainbit motioned for Snart to stay behind.

"Where did that come from?" she wondered.

"He thinks I'm a threat. I've told him repeatedly, I don't want his birthright, but he won't believe me. Will it really be no problem to change the wedding date?"

"It means some extra work for me, but we can do it," she said.

"Yes, I'll have to make a few adjustments to our plans, too," he nodded.

"I don't want to hear it," Rainbit answered. "It's not like you bridegrooms have much work to do. I've got to help Hildi with her dress, her shoes, and her hair; I've got to make sure my husband is ready to do the ceremony; I've got to make sure he and I have something nice to wear; I've got to make arrangements for the reception and the public consummation; I've got to make sure the decorations are —"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait, stop, back up!" Snart exclaimed, his eyes wide. "The public _what?_"

The headwoman looked surprised. "The... you didn't know?"

"This is the first I've heard of it," Snart answered shakily. "Does that mean... what it sounds like it means?"

Rainbit turned several shades of crimson. "I think you need to talk to Germburg."

Snart found the chief in the Mead Hall, talking to some fishermen. When they were done, he whispered in Germburg's ear. The bigger man looked startled for a moment, put an arm around Snart's shoulder, and said, "Let's take a walk, son."

Alone in the cold night air, the chief continued. "It's another of those ancient Viking traditions that I'd like to set aside for you if I could. You're marrying the chief's daughter; you'll be second in line to lead the tribe. The entire community has to be convinced that you can... produce children for the ruling family line. I'm sorry to say, that means your marriage has to be consummated in view of the whole town. Don't they do this in other Viking villages?"

"I was never a part of village life in Hulm," Snart replied. "If they did it in Berk, either I didn't get invited, or I was too busy with the dragons and didn't notice."

"I'm sure they did. All Viking chiefs' families do it. Jackbart will have to do it when he takes a bride, which will probably be within a year. Rainbit and I had to do it when we married, even though we both had children already, and were close to the age where we couldn't make more."

"It sounds like a horror show," Snart said slowly, shaking his head.

"All I can say is, it's unpleasant and it's unavoidable, but you only have to do it once," Germburg said.

"I'm not worried about me. It's Hildi I'm thinking of," Snart replied anxiously. "She... I've heard that it's unpleasant for a girl... the first time." The chief nodded. "She's not that comfortable with her own appearance anyway. Throw in a bunch of drunken villagers staring at her, and shouting rude comments... it would be a _nightmare_ for her! An absolute _nightmare!_ She'd cry for days!" He wildly grabbed Germburg by the lapels. "Sir, there has _got_ to be some way to _not_ put her through that!"

"Your concern for her does you credit," the chief nodded, gently pushing Snart away. "But I don't think you can pull anything out of your pockets to wiggle out of this one. Even your dragons can't help you here. Besides, she's tougher than you think."

"There are limits to a girl's toughness," Snart said firmly. "Something like this will take her to the limit, and then smash her through that limit, face-first. I know there are reasons for these traditions, but this is just wrong."

"Snart, you can't... no, wait, I'll rephrase," the chief decided. "There is no way _I_ can think of for you to get out of this. By now, I should know better than to say something is impossible when you're involved. Just be aware: if you break this tradition, not only will you disqualify yourself from becoming chief some day; you might get yourself disgraced and kicked out of the village. Jackbart might even challenge you to a _hólmgang_ to restore the family honor. Tread carefully, Snart."

"I will, sir. But when I speak my vows, I intend to swear that I'll protect her, and I can't imagine a worse way to show protection to the girl I love. I couldn't care less about becoming chief, and if we have to leave town in disgrace, I know Berk will take us. She's worth all that, and a lot more." Germburg knew that determined look on Snart's face, and said nothing.

As the young man walked back toward his room, the chief quietly said to the night, "Please don't do something stupid. I don't want to lose either of you."


	79. Part 3, Chapter 12

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 12

When the new wedding date was announced, it raised people's spirits immediately. The work didn't go noticeably faster, but the complaints and the incidents of laziness dropped to nearly nothing. Snart's and Hildi's house was soon much closer to completion than many others, because people kept dropping by at random moments to offer them a hand.

Winter came, but at first, it was almost mild, compared to recent winters. The work continued, unhampered by snow. Half the buildings in the village were finished; the other half would be done by Snoggletog.

A week before the holiday, the first bad winter storm hit. It brought no snow, but the winds were wilder than anyone could remember. Everyone stayed inside; the few whose homes were not finished found shelter with their neighbors.

Just after sunset, Germburg heard a hammering at his door. It was a sailor from the fishing fleet. "The boats are breaking loose from the docks!" he shouted over the howling wind. "They're blowing all over the harbor!"

"Warn Nagmire!" the chief shouted back. He looked over his shoulder. "Hildi, get your brother! I'll find Snart!" He bundled on his heaviest coat and ran down the path to where his head dragon-rider lived.

Once the four riders were together, Germburg explained the situation. "We can't drag a boat against this wind," Snart decided, "but we can take sailors out to the boats, and help point them into the wind until they beach."

"Get ready to do that," Germburg nodded. "I'll get the sailors."

It was one of the most nerve-wracking missions Snart had ever flown. They had to carry sailors who weren't used to being carried, and deliver them onto the pitching decks of small fishing boats in the teeth of a gale, in the dark. The dragons brought four sailors at a time to the first boat; then Skybaby stayed with that boat as a flying sea anchor while the others went back for more. With Livetsparer carrying two, they got another crew of four to the next boat, and Nagmire stayed with that one. Then Livetsparer and Wizard each carried two, and they got a third boat under control. By this time, the first boat had safely beached, and Skybaby was free to ferry more sailors. On and on they went, flight after short, violent flight, until almost all the fleet was safely on shore.

"Two boats to go," Snart shouted. "Naggie, go home; your dragon is exhausted. You, too, Jack; you've done double duty all night. Thank you, both. Hildi and I can finish this." The other riders waved and returned to the clearing. Wizard seemed inexhaustible, and Snart had used Skybaby more as a sea-anchor than as a sailor-carrier, so she didn't tire so quickly.

The remaining boats had their crews; all the dragons had to do was hang onto the ropes and keep the boats from turning broadside to the pounding waves. It took a few minutes, but at last, both boats heard the crunch of gravel under their keels. They were safe.

At that moment, they all heard a sound, even over the noise of the wind. It was a powerful thrumming howl from overhead. Skybaby and Wizard dropped their ropes and laboriously flapped upward to join the long cloud of dragons that was headed northwest, taking their riders with them.

Rainbit burst into the Mead Hall that morning as her husband was finishing his breakfast. "They're gone!" she announced, flustered. "All the dragons are gone, and Snart and Hildi, too! They must have gone on that egg-laying flight!"

"They once told us that, when the dragons have to go, they go, and there's no holding them back," Germburg nodded. "We knew this day was coming. We'll have to warn the fishermen that there won't be any dragons to save them for a few weeks."

"But what about Snart and Hildi?" his wife demanded.

"I've learned to have a lot of faith in Snart's abilities," the chief replied. "He'll take good care of our daughter."

"That's what I'm afraid of!" she sputtered. "The two of them are in love, their wedding is getting close, and now they're on a desert island for two weeks with no one else around!"

"That could be a problem," Germburg agreed. "Everyone knows how fond they are of each other. Some nasty rumors could get started, and they'd have no way to disprove them."

"Rumors!" Rainbit exploded. "I don't care what people _think_ they're doing! I care what they _are_ doing! I raised Hildi right, and Snart is a good man, but two weeks is a long time, and they're only human."

"Mmmm," the chief grunted. "Yes, you're right." He sat stroking his beard in silence for a minute. Rainbit knew better than to interrupt that kind of thinking.

At last, he smiled and said, "Rain, do you know how to use those little dragons, the Terrors, to send notes to people? I need to get a message to Hiccup."

"Yes, _Kjære_, I can do that, but what does Hiccup have to do with this?"

"His dragon can't join that egg-laying migration, so he's still in Berk. I need to see him as soon as possible. Help me send the note, and then I'll explain why." Rainbit coaxed a Terrible Terror out from underneath a storage shed while Germburg wrote a short message and rolled it up. They tied it to the little dragon, fed it a small fish, and encouraged it to "Find Hiccup!"

"Okay, now what are you planning?" Rainbit demanded as they watched the Terror flapping away.

"You're right about Snart and Hildi possibly getting themselves in trouble on that island. I'm right that gossip could ruin their lives and our family reputation. So I'm going to ask Hiccup to fly me out to that island for a few hours."

"A few hours?" Rainbit was doubtful. "They're going to be there for weeks! What good will a few hours' supervision do them? You must have one amazing pep talk in mind."

"I'm not going out there to supervise them, Rain. I'm going out there to marry them."

The headwoman's mouth fell open. She tried to speak, and nothing came out for several seconds. At last she found her voice. "You're crazy! Germburg, you've gone crazy! I swear, you're starting to think like Snart!"

"That might be the nicest thing you've said to me in weeks," he smiled. "But it's the only way. If Hiccup brings one of them back, that leaves the other one stranded all alone for two weeks. If I ask him to bring them both back, that's two long trips and it's a huge imposition on him. But if they're married, then they can't misbehave and no one can gossip about them. I'm the chief, and Hiccup will be a witness, so it'll be legal."

He stroked his flustered wife's cheek with his huge hand. "Once they're back, we'll have the fancy wedding with the white dress and the decorations and everything you've been working on. I know the town needs something to celebrate, after all we've been through. But my first concern is those two, out there by themselves.

"Besides, there's another problem. Jack sees Snart as a rival, and he's been looking for an excuse to fight him. Snart could never win such a fight, and he knows it. He'd have to leave town in disgrace, and if that happens, we'd never see him or Hildi again. We can't give Jackbart _any_ reason to think Snart has acted wrongly toward Hildi, or this family will be split in two."

Rainbit considered things and reached a decision. "Hiccup won't be here for a few hours. That gives me time to mix up some honeymead and fill a skin. You can take that with you, for them to drink after the ceremony. At least it will be something like a real wedding." She hurried off.

"And I've got to see the smith about something," he said, as if she were still next to him. He hoped his little project was ready.

When Hiccup and Toothless arrived, it was just before lunch time. It had taken them a while because the winds were still blowing pretty hard. Germburg explained the situation briefly. Hiccup nodded until he got to the part about the impromptu wedding; then his eyes went wide.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that's the kind of solution Snart would come up with," he said. Rainbit nodded triumphantly and mouthed "I told you so."

"But I'll do it," Hiccup continued. "There aren't any emergencies in Berk, so I can spend the day on this adventure and bring you home tonight. If my dad objects, he'll settle down when I tell him what I was doing. We can leave when you're ready."

The chief made sure he had the skin of mead and a small pouch hanging from his belt, gave his wife a quick kiss, climbed awkwardly onto Toothless behind Hiccup, and away they went. The Night Fury seemed to know the way, and they made good time.


	80. Part 3, Chapter 13

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 13

When Toothless arrived over Lovecraft Island and found Snart and Hildi, they were halfway up the rocky beach, in a rough spot where there weren't any dragons. Their arms were around each other and, by their expressions, they had either just finished a passionate kiss or were about to start one. Maybe both. "I think we got here just in time," the chief said to Hiccup as Toothless glided in.

"Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves?" Germburg called to them. They jumped; they were so intent on each other, they hadn't noticed Toothless landing fifty feet away. They quickly stepped away from each other, looking guilty.

"Sir! I... I mean we weren't expecting you here," Snart stammered. "We... we were just..."

"It's okay, Snart, relax. I'm not here to pass judgment. I'm here to help. Both of us are."

"I'm not sure there's much you can do," Snart said, hanging his head. "Our dragons flew away with us, and now we're kind of stuck here for the duration. I know you can't stay long. You have a village to run."

"I also have a family to care about," Germburg replied, a bit gruffly. "You two are too much in love to leave by yourselves, and we can't take you both back. The only way to keep you out of trouble is to fix it so it isn't considered 'trouble' any more." He waited until Snart figured it out, but to his surprise, it was Hildi who caught on first.

"Father... can you do that? Out here in the middle of nowhere, with no one else here?"

"Can he do what, Hildi?" Snart asked, confused.

"We have the basics," Germburg answered. "I'm a chief, and Hiccup is a witness." Snart suddenly understood. "We have a bride, we have a groom, I have some honeymead from your mother, and I just happen to have these." He opened the small pouch and pulled out two thin gold rings.

Snart just stared at them. Germburg revealed his full smile. "I think that's the first time I've ever seen you speechless, Snart. I confess, I like it. You can blame yourself if you're wondering where these came from. I hollowed out one leg of your bride-price gift to get the metal. These are my wedding gift to you.

"Now, shall we begin?"

The two lovers glanced at each other, nodded, and took their places in front of the chief, standing about an arm's length apart, smiling nervously. Hiccup stood next to and slightly behind Germburg, and Toothless stood next to Hiccup, watching curiously.

"We don't have a sacrifice, so we'll skip that part," the chief began. "You'd normally exchange swords and rings; we're missing the swords, too."

"We have our belt seaxes; will they do?" Hildi asked.

"Certainly," Germburg nodded. Snart drew his blade and handed it to Hildi, who placed his ring on the pommel; then she gave her knife to Snart so he could put her ring on it. Once they were ready, they solemnly exchanged seaxes and put on their rings.

"Now, you may exchange your vows."

"You mean the vows we haven't written yet?" Snart asked. "Okay, time to think fast. Uhhh...

"Hildi, you've changed my life. From the day we met, I thought you were special, and you've only gotten more special to me as time has gone by. Somewhere along the way, I realized that my life just isn't worth living if you aren't in it. That's why I'm taking you as my wife today.

"I promise that I will always do my best to protect you, honor you, shelter you, care for you, provide for you, and love you. I can't promise that I'll always be the perfect husband, but I promise I will never stop trying to be, because that's what you deserve. You're wonderful, and I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my days beside you."

Hildi blinked hard a few times, and took a deep breath.

"Snart, if I changed your life, you've altered mine beyond recognition. There is almost nothing in my life now that doesn't have your fingerprints on it, and that's all to the good, because you've never done anything but good for me. I'm amazed that you love me, I can't get enough of you, and I could never settle for anyone else.

"I promise that I will always to my best to support you, honor you, shelter you, care for you, provide for you, and love you. I'm far from the perfect wife, but I want to be, because that's what you deserve. My life is tangled up with yours, and I'd never be right if I wasn't beside you... Is that okay?"

"It's perfect," Snart whispered.

The chief turned to Hiccup. "Seen, heard, and witnessed?"

"Seen, heard, and witnessed, Chief Germburg," Hiccup nodded.

"Then it's done, as far as we can do it here. You are man and wife. Snart, you may kiss your bride. Again," he added with a touch of mischief in his voice. Snart did so with some embarrassment but no reluctance. Hiccup looked away.

"Congratulations." The chief paused for a moment. "Here's the honeymead Rainbit made. It's for you to drink together; that's the best we can do for a wedding reception. Enjoy it, and take a few minutes to talk together, before we move on to the next part." He gestured with his head at Hiccup, and they both wandered away. The newlyweds sat down on the rocks together.

"Don't guzzle that stuff; they say it's stronger than you think," Hildi warned him.

"Thanks for the warning. This is one time and place I seriously do _not_ want to get sick." He took a sip and passed it to Hildi, who did the same.

He looked at her with a dazed smile. "Did we really just get married?" he asked.

"I think we did. It was kind of sudden."

"It's not like I expected. I figured I'd be terrified," he added.

"Terrified? Of me?" she asked indignantly.

"No, of course not," he said soothingly.

"Well, you _should_ be terrified," she growled. "Remember, you just married Hildi the Horrible, the girl no man can tame!"

"I'd never try to tame you, Hildi," Snart said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you'll always have a temper, and maybe I'll always have bruises on my arm. But you're not an animal that needs taming. You're a lady, and now you're my lady, and I love you." He bent over and kissed her.

"You taste like honeymead," she smiled, and kissed him back. "What did my father mean, 'the next part'?"

"He meant... oh," Snart started to answer and stopped. Then he exclaimed, "Oh!"

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just a second, let me think," he asked. "Can you call Wizard down here?"

"Sure, I guess. Are we inviting him to the wedding reception?"

"Sort of. Call him down. Please." She stood, made a piercing whistle, and called the dragon's name. From up on the higher rocks, the blue Nadder glided down to join them.

"Okay, I did what you asked," Hildi said, sitting down again next to Snart. "Now —"

"No secrets," Snart nodded. "Especially now that we're married. The 'next part' that your father mentioned? That means the public consummation of our marriage."

Her expression instantly changed from curious to terrified.


	81. Part 3, Chapter 14

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 14

"No!" she gasped, eyes suddenly wild and afraid, clutching his hand. "Please don't make me do that, not in front of people! I'm not ready for that! I don't know if I'll ever be ready! I'm so..." She pulled away; he saw tears forming. "I can't do it! Do we really have to?"

Snart grasped both her hands, looked in her eyes, and nodded. "We do have to. But don't you see what your father has done for us? These gold rings are nothing compared to the _real_ gift he's giving us. By marrying us out here, he's letting us consummate without the whole village watching!"

"He... he did? I mean, he is?"

"Instead of a town full of half-drunk, rude spectators staring at us, we're down to one family member and one true friend, and I've got a plan for them. I know you'd rather we be by ourselves; _I'd_ rather we be by ourselves; but it has to be done, so..." He stood and looked around. "That flat spot on the rocks over there; that looks about as comfortable as any place we're going to find on this island." They sat down in the spot Snart had found, and waited for Germburg and Hiccup to return.

After a few minutes, during which Snart and Hildi sat silently and grew more and more nervous, the other two walked back toward them, animatedly discussing baby dragons. "Oh, there you are," Germburg said. "Do you, uhhh... do you know what has to happen next?"

"We know," Snart answered. "And we both want to say 'thank you' with all our hearts."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the chief replied, and winked quickly. He and Hiccup sat down on the rocks about forty feet away from them. Toothless lay down next to Hiccup and went to sleep.

"Before we begin, I have to ask you something," Snart continued. "If people are watching a consummation, and someone gets in the way so some of the people can't see, does that mean the ceremony is invalid?"

"No, of course not," Germburg said.

"I hoped not," Snart said. He made some hand signals, and Wizard walked between the two pairs of people and flopped down on the rocks, completely blocking their view of each other.

Hiccup had quickly realized what Snart was up to, and he was trying hard not to laugh out loud. Germburg wasn't so amused. "You're pushing me, Snart! That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"I'm sure the traditions don't say anything about dragons getting in the way, so it's not forbidden. Besides, you can still hear, so you're still witnesses."

"We can move, you know," the chief threatened.

"So can Wizard. Sir, I don't want to disrespect you _or_ the tribe _or_ the traditions, but my first loyalty is to this lovely but very scared lady sitting next to me."

Germburg started to say something, but stopped. He took a deep breath and murmured to Hiccup, "I think the key to getting along with Snart is to know when you're beaten." Out loud, he said, "You just can't do things the Viking way, can you? But I can't condemn you for loving your bride. Uhhh... proceed."

On the other side of the dragon, Hildi was clinging to Snart, sobbing, "Thank you... thank you..." over and over again.

"Didn't I just promise that I'd care for you and protect you?" he said softly as he stroked her hair. "I'd be a fine husband if I broke my vows on our wedding day."

She finally regained her composure, dried her eyes, and looked around her. "This isn't how I dreamed my wedding day would be. Rocks, and dragons, and... more rocks."

"It's not very romantic," Snart agreed, resting one hand on her shoulder. "I know you had plans for white dresses, and flowers in your hair, and your mother fussing over you, and all that. We can still have that wedding! When we get back, I know the town will want to celebrate with us. We'll have a full ceremony with all the trimmings, just like we were planning. This is our real wedding, but the second one will be the one we'll remember and celebrate every year."

Hildi looked down at herself. "White dresses and flowers. Huh! Look at me! I'm wearing my dirty old blue riding outfit, and my dragon-rider's boots, and my plain old pony tail to keep my hair out of my face when I fly. What kind of a bride am I?"

"You're the kind of bride who makes her husband happy," Snart smiled, edging closer to her. "All these things you're wearing, they're because of the dragons, right? And whose fault is it that your life is so full of dragons?"

"Yours," she said with a sudden smile.

Snart nodded. "Like you said a few minutes ago, everything in your appearance is a reflection of how your husband has impacted your life. Not many bridegrooms get to enjoy such a beautiful sight."

She looked down again. "Don't lie to me. I'm not beautiful."

He gently turned her face back toward him, leaned in until their lips almost met, and whispered, "You're beautiful to me, my sweet, perfect Hildi. You are perfectly beautiful to me." He leaned in the rest of the way.

Back on the other side of the dragon, Germburg was straining his ears to hear what the couple might be doing. It was hard, over the background noises of dragons talking to each other, dragonets chirping, eggs explosively hatching, and the waves outside the lagoon. Hiccup was staring intently at Wizard, his expression unreadable. When they did hear something every few minutes, it almost made them wince.

Finally, Hiccup spoke. "This is almost as awkward for us as it must be for them."

"That's probably why the whole village gets involved," Germburg nodded. "It's not so bad if everybody around you is just as embarrassed, and pretending not to be."

They noticed Skybaby walking toward them. She stopped on the far side of Wizard and cocked her head, obviously watching Snart and Hildi. Hiccup smiled sardonically. "Another witness?"

"I'm sure they won't even notice her," the chief smiled back.

A few minutes later, they heard something that probably meant the consummation was consummated. But it was quickly drowned out by Wizard and Skybaby's trumpeting, and those two were joined by every Nadder on the island. Many of the other dragons added roars and bellows of their own; even Toothless woke up and let out a few honking roars. Germburg and Hiccup had to cover their ears, it was so loud.

When Wizard lifted his head to trumpet, he allowed them to see just enough of Snart and Hildi to prove that the couple wasn't faking it. Hiccup and the chief took a glance, then looked away.

"Seen, heard, and witnessed, I hope?" Hiccup asked as the noise subsided. He had gone quite red in the face.

"Seen, heard, and witnessed," Germburg nodded. He seemed relieved. "I think our work here is done."

"Good," Hiccup agreed. "I hope their dragons don't make that ruckus every time, or they'll never have any privacy."

"That could be unpleasant," the chief noted. "Snart! Hildi! We're leaving now. Uhhh... enjoy your time together, and come home when you're ready."

"We will, sir! And again, thank you. For everything."

"Oh, and one more thing, Snart? I was wrong about what I said earlier. Your dragons _could_ help you out here." The sun was setting as Toothless began his return flight.

"It will be dark before we get home, but Toothless sees just fine in the dark," Hiccup explained to his passenger. "I'm glad you asked me to do this, even though it was kind of uncomfortable in places."

"Taking notes for your own wedding?" Germburg asked.

"If and when it happens, I can think of worse ways to do it than what I just saw," Hiccup nodded. "I'm the chief's only son, so I'll be in the same position Snart was in." He sighed. "I only hope I can work it out half as cleverly as you and your family did."

Back on the island, Hildi was dabbing mead with her fingers into some fresh wounds in Snart's back. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't know my nails were that long, and I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Snart answered, and winced as she worked. "I had no idea it might hurt you that much. I never — OW! — never wanted to hurt you at all."

"Mother says it's like this only once," Hildi murmured as she rested her hand on his shoulder.

"That's what Germburg told me," he nodded.

"You talked to my stepfather about... that stuff?" she asked, amazed.

"He's not just your stepfather. He's the closest thing to a father that I've got."

She hugged him from behind, careful not to rub against his scratch marks. "Did he tell you anything else important?"

"He said you might even like it next time."

**o**

_A/N Those of you who have been following my stories may note a similarity in theme between this chapter and a story I wrote about Hiccup and Astrid's wedding, called "Man in the Middle." Note that I wrote this chapter first, and recycled the concept for the Hiccstrid story, not the other way around._


	82. Part 3, Chapter 15

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 15

"What's really strange is that Skybaby hasn't laid any eggs yet."

Snart and Hildi had been on the island for four days now, exploring many aspects of dragon culture. They had confirmed that Skybaby and Wizard were a pair again this year, and they had seen many eggs laid by other dragons. A few had hatched already. Snart had seen most of this two years ago, but it was all new to Hildi. He especially wanted her to see it all because she was a gifted storyteller, and she could help people understand dragons better than he ever could.

But Skybaby had not laid.

"She keeps assuming the position, but nothing happens," Hildi answered him. "I wonder if something's wrong."

"It will be hard to tell if she keeps hissing and growling every time we go near her," Snart observed.

They sat on the rocks about a hundred feet away from Snart's green dragon, watching her. Every few minutes, she would recline into something like a sitting position, and stay there for a minute, then return to standing on two legs or resting flat on the rocks. That sitting position was how Nadders laid eggs.

"I've got to try something," Snart murmured. "Maybe I should try to train her from the beginning, stroking the tail and all. There has to be some way to earn her trust so I can see if there's a problem."

"Please be careful, Snart. She's not herself. I think a totally wild Nadder would be more predictable."

"You're probably right, but I can't choose a wild Nadder. I have to try and help this one." He stepped toward his green dragon.

As soon as he got within twenty feet of her, she turned on him, wings out, spines up, snarling viciously. Snart showed her his empty hands and spoke softly. She turned to keep her spines pointed at him. It seemed that her movements were strained.

"Are you in pain?" he asked. He had sudden flashbacks of Skydancer and his broken wing. It seemed like so long ago... was it really just three years? He continued speaking softly, moving slowly, trying to get to her tail without threatening her. She remained adamant. Fifteen minutes, half an hour went by, and still she would not let him near.

Suddenly, she crouched into the egg-laying position. She stayed there for about a minute before rising again. No egg. "Baby, please let me help!" Snart pleaded with her. "Something's wrong, I can tell. Let me help you!" She took a step, and her leg folded up under her and she fell on her side. She made a strained keening noise.

Snart made sure to stay in her field of vision. "I'm going to check you out, girl. Please let me." He slowly stepped toward her until he was next to her tail. He stroked the scales softly. "Easy, girl, easy." Slowly, the spines retracted, and Skybaby laid her head on the rocks.

He ran his hand along her as he tried to examine her. In the spot where eggs came from, there was a hard bulge. "She's got an egg that's stuck! Hildi, please go find that skin that had the honeymead in it. Fill it with warm water from the lagoon and bring it here, quickly." She nodded and ran off barefoot; their fur-lined dragon-rider's boots were far too warm for this island.

He stroked Skybaby's belly until Hildi returned with the water. "I'm going to try and help you," he said to the dragon. "You know there's something wrong, too. Please let me do what I can." The dragon tried to crane her neck so she could focus an eye on him.

It took close to an hour. Using the warm water to make his fingers slippery, he slowly worked his hand around the egg so he could pull it out. He didn't want to break it, he didn't want to hurt the dragon, and everything he did was guesswork. As far as he knew, he was the first person ever to attempt dragon obstetrics.

It turned out that the obstacle was two eggs, partially fused together. He finally removed them and laid them aside. Skybaby was on her feet in a moment. She laid another egg two minutes later, and again a minute after that. She rolled all the eggs to a safe place with her nose, then turned and rubbed her neck against Snart.

"That's the girl I know and love!" he smiled, scratching her neck and face. Her gratitude was obvious. When he stepped away at last, his wife was waiting for him.

"I'm sorry, Hildi, I kind of forgot about you for a while."

She hugged him. "I love watching you work. You're so gentle and careful with those dragons! I know you're going to be a wonderful father."

Snart went rigid. "_Father?!_ Isn't it a little soon to... are you _sure?_"

"Of course not, it's way too soon!" she smiled. "But sooner or later, it's going to happen. The village expects babies from us, you know." She leaned closer and whispered, "I want them, too."

Snart was still a bit shaken by what he'd thought she'd told him. "Would the village settle for some dragon eggs instead?"


	83. Part 3, Chapter 16

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 16

Skybaby laid only the two eggs, in addition to the fused pair. "I don't think that double egg is going to hatch," Snart decided. "It looks wrong, it felt too heavy, the color is different... I think two chicks is all we'll get from her this year."

They continued exploring, mostly to find familiar dragons among the hundreds of flying lizards that filled the island. They couldn't locate Sterk or Meatlug, but all their friends' other dragons were pleased to see them, Stormfly in particular.

"Now we're sure that Livetsparer is a male; that will make Jackbart happy," Hildi commented.

"Not that he ever had any doubts," Snart nodded. He looked ahead. "Uh-oh, we'd better hustle. Skybaby is rolling her eggs in the water!" They broke into a trot so they could see the hatching.

Snart knew what to expect, and he'd told Hildi all about it, but it was still amazing to watch a large egg tumble into a sinkhole, and a tiny colorful dragon climb out a minute or two later. And the endearing moment when mother and child dragon first met, and rubbed noses, turned Hildi to mush, just like Astrid before her. As expected, Skybaby hatched only two eggs this time; one little Nadder was light blue with red and white tail rings, and the other was a rich turquoise.

They spent the next week and a half playing with baby dragons and enjoying each other. It was like no other honeymoon in Viking history. The fact that they ate only fish, slept on bare rocks, and had dragons for companions didn't detract from their delight in their circumstances.

"Everyone else on Machen is freezing cold and working themselves to the bone," Hildi commented one day, "and here we are, sitting barefoot on the shores of a lagoon, holding hands and watching dragons play. Should I feel guilty?"

"There will be plenty for us to do when we get back," Snart replied. "I'm sure the Academy is a disaster area by now, and we have some finishing work to do on our house. Enjoy this vacation for all it's worth; we'll probably never get another one like it."

A few days later, Wizard came loping toward them, acting agitated. "I think he's ready to go home," Snart observed.

"I want to go home with you!" Hildi exclaimed. "We've barely been married two weeks, and we have to be separated? I might be home alone for _days_ before you get back! Can't I ride home on Skybaby with you?"

"I'd love to, but I don't think you can explain that to Wizard," Snart said. "He brought you here, so he feels responsible for you."

"I'd like to try explaining it to him," she came back. "Wizard, you fly home. I'm going to stay with Snart, and come home with him." The big dragon nudged her with his nose, not understanding. She turned and clung to Snart.

"He doesn't get it, my _Elskede_," Snart told her. "We're going to have to part company for a few days. Then we can have a joyous reunion."

"What will I tell everyone at home when they ask what happened to my new husband?" she asked.

"Tell them we ran out of food, so you killed me and ate me," he grinned. "They'll believe it." She hit him in the arm.

It turned out not to matter. They gave each other a goodbye kiss, then another one, and by the time they were done saying goodbye, Wizard had given up waiting and flapped away.

"Great — when he arrives without me, they'll all think I fell off, and they'll have a funeral for me," she fussed.

"You did want him to go without you, right?" Snart grinned. "Hopefully, Skybaby will be ready to go soon, and we'll get there in time to disrupt your funeral." His Nadder kept them waiting another two days; then they winged home together.

No one was waiting for the newlyweds in the clearing, but as they made their way into town, more and more people burst out of their houses to congratulate them, until it seemed that half the town was parading up the main path. Germburg and Rainbit met them as they passed the Mead Hall, and ran up to them.

"Snart, if you think you've escaped my wedding plans, think again," Rainbit mock-threatened him. "You're looking good; you got some sun on that island. Congratulations, and welcome to the family!"

Hildi just flung her arms around her stepfather and sighed, "Thank you, Daddy."

The chief went rigid for a moment, then gathered her up in a bear hug, his eyes glistening. "I've waited for _years_ for you to call me that." He didn't greet Snart for a minute because he was reluctant to break off the hug with his daughter.

But he had to break it off when Jackbart appeared. "So, the lovebirds have decided to come back to the nest! It's about time."

"Jack, quit it," Rainbit growled, trying not to be too loud.

"Wasn't it enough that you ran off on errands instead of fighting our life-or-death battle with the rest of us?"

"Jack..." his father growled, a clear warning.

"No, you have to take off for parts unknown while the rest of us try to rebuild our village! And, while you're at it, you probably managed to dishonor my sister."

"That is ENOUGH!" the chief roared.

"Not yet, it isn't. I have one more thing to say. You're not the like of a man, and not a man in your chest!"

The village went silent. Everyone knew the ancient phrases; Jackbart had just challenged Snart to a duel. If he declined, it meant admitting that Jack's insults were the truth. They stared at Snart for his reaction. He had gone as stiff as a board, locking eyes with Jackbart.

"Don't do it, Snart!" Rainbit advised. "_Hólmgang_ is supposed to end at first blood, but he could kill you!" Snart continued to stare at him.

"We can go to Berk!" Hildi begged. "They don't care about your Viking honor; they love you for who you are! Please, do it for me!"

He looked at his wife sadly. "You want me to run away like a frightened bird? Is that the kind of husband you want me to be?"

"I want you to be the 'alive' kind!" she answered heatedly.

"I've faced bigger dragons than him and survived. One thing I haven't _ever_ done, though, is run away. Maybe you could live with me on those terms, but I don't think I could live with myself." He turned back to Jackbart, walked right up to the shorter but stronger man, and recited the ancient response. "I'm a man like you."

Jackbart smiled coldly.


	84. Part 3, Chapter 17

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 17

A square patch of fabric, ten feet on a side, had been laid out and staked down in the clearing. Around it were three rows of narrow trenches, and outside the last little trench was a row of wooden stakes supporting a rope.

On one side of the square, Hildi was clinging to Snart as though she might never see him again. Jackbart lounged on the other side, strong, confident. Germburg stood in the middle, looking nervous. Most of the town surrounded them.

Hildi whispered, "My brother isn't a dirty fighter, but he's brutal. He'll try to break your arm with his first blow. He'll also try to charge at you and get you out of position just before he strikes. He's practiced this with his friends."

"Is there any good news?" Snart asked.

"Well... almost everyone in the village wants you to win."

"That's reassuring," he nodded. "But I also heard that the wagering is very much against me."

"What difference does that make?" she hissed. "I'm not happy with you for getting into this. He's stronger than you, he's more practiced with the sword, and he's fighting mad."

"Thank you for summing that up. I think it's time." Germburg stepped into the square.

"You all know the rules for _hólmgang_. Each fighter gets three shields. You take turns striking blows, beginning with the challenged party. Leaving the ring counts as a forfeit. When first blood falls to the ground, the duel is over. Snart, Jackbart, enter the ring." He stepped out as the two duellists entered.

"Are you ready for this, little man?" Jack taunted him. "You and your borrowed sword? You're not even man enough to have your own weapon!"

Snart refused to be baited. He had no idea how he might win this thing. He watched Jack for patterns he might exploit. He lifted the heavy sword and swung, letting the weight of the weapon do the work. Jack didn't block it with his shield, but parried it aside with his own blade.

"My turn!" he grinned. His blade whipped up and then down again. Snart tried to turn it with his shield at an angle, rather than take the full force of the blow straight-on, but even that nearly cost him an arm bone. He'd have a nasty bruise there, for sure. He backed up a step.

"Starting to have second thoughts?" Jack sneered. "Fighting me isn't like fighting from the safety of a dragon's back, is it?" Snart swung again, aiming more to the left so Jack couldn't parry. Jackbart stopped the blow with his shield, then shoved back with it, knocking Snart off balance. Then he swung. The blade bit into the edge of the shield, and Jack twisted his blade, splitting the shield in half.

Hildi handed Snart his second shield. These were not battle shields with iron rims and central bosses; they were simple wooden discs with arm straps on the back, nothing more. Flimsy. Meant to split easily. Maybe he could split one, too? He aimed his blow and swung. Jack caught it on the edge of his shield and pulled away before Snart could twist his blade.

Now Jackbart raised his sword and charged. Snart stepped aside, but Jack still slashed down at Snart's head. He stopped the blow with the shield somehow, but again, it cleaved the edge and Jack split it with a twist.

"One left. Try to make it last," Hildi whispered, looking very pale. Jack stood immobile, waiting for Snart's next ineffectual strike. Snart looked at the shield, figuring out which way the woodgrain ran. He stepped forward, took a swing, and this time he managed to hit the edge of the shield deep enough that he could split it by twisting hard on the sword.

"That's one for you," Jack grinned, unafraid. He picked up his second shield. "Now _here's_ one for you!" He swung, not straight down, but at an angle. Snart had no chance of finessing this one, and his third shield cracked.

No more shields. All he could do now was parry, and he had no practiced skill for a move like that. He got one more swing, and Jack dodged it with a laugh, not even trying to stop it or parry it. He heard Hildi gasp.

He stood straight, the way he thought a warrior would, and awaited the blow.

Jack stood opposite him, a huge grin on his face. He held the sword straight out in front of him. Then he dropped his shield, slowly brought his left arm down onto the blade, and pulled it back slightly. He held the sword aside, and kept his left arm where it was, until a drop of blood fell from his arm onto the fabric of the duelling square.

Germburg was stunned for a moment. At last, he announced, "First blood falls from Jackbart. Snart is the winner!" The whole village erupted in cheers.

Snart just stared at his adversary. Jack stared back evenly. "We know who the _real_ winner would have been, don't we?" he said.

"Jack, what are you doing?" was all Snart could say.

Jack's answer was to remove a tiny leather pouch from his belt, and drop it at Snart's feet. "Three silver marks. The usual price for losing a _hólmgang_. I think this leaves me disgraced, kind of."

"Jack, what _are_ you doing?" Germburg demanded.

Jack turned to face his father. His voice dropped so low that only his parents and Snart could understand him. "I'm trying to do what Snart does. Make everybody happy. It's my first try, so I'll probably miss a few people.

"You see, over the past few months, I've gotten to like a girl from Berk, named Ruffnut, and she likes me too. I've spoken to her parents, and they're willing for the match to go forward, as long as you approve, of course. But their terms are that she not leave Berk; she's very attached to her family, especially her twin brother.

"So I thought I'd do what Snart did, and move to another town to pursue my lady. But I needed a good excuse to go — the chief's son can't just walk away from his own village. If I said it was because of a girl, everyone will wonder, 'What's wrong with the girls in your own town?' And I couldn't start an Academy like Snart did. So I provoked this fight, never intending to win it, so I'll leave here under a cloud in the public eye, even though it's not much of a cloud.

"Jack, if you leave Machen, you also forfeit your right to become the next chief," Germburg warned him.

"I know that," Jackbart answered. "But I'm sick of competing against Snart for the hearts of the people here. Even if he really _doesn't_ want to be chief, everyone would always be comparing me to him. I could never rule that way. And, let's face it, Snart is going to make an awesome chief some day, whether that's his goal or not.

"So I'm going to follow my own destiny, from here to Berk, and see where it leads me. That way, I get the girl, Snart gets the village, the village gets Snart, and I can fly up on Livetsparer and see you any time, because I'm not really disgraced. I think that leaves everybody happy. Except maybe Snart, if he really _doesn't_ want to be chief. And if that's the case, then me sticking him with the job is my best revenge."

Snart stared at him for several seconds, then sheathed his sword and extended his hand. "Very good for a first try," he smiled. Jack nearly crushed his hand.


	85. Part 3, Chapter 18

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 18

The prevailing thought in Machen could be summed up in two words: "Now what?"

Those were Germburg's thoughts. His relationship with his son Jackbart was a lot more strained than it used to be, but Jack was still his son, and his only living link to his first wife, slain by the Berserkers alongside the rest of his family as they fought beside him for their village and their home. Now Jack was leaving Germburg's newly-adopted town for yet another town of his own choosing. That new town would offer him the girl he wanted, but it couldn't offer him the relationship with his father that would be irrevocably damaged by his leaving home.

Those were the thoughts of many citizens of the town. In the past few years, they had seen their male population decimated by raids and rebuilt by refugees from Germburg's village of Sag. They had been through a succession of short-lived chiefs, culminating in Germburg, who was certainly among the best the village had ever seen. Now Germburg's family line was being cut off as his only son left to live in Berk. His place in the line of succession would probably be taken by Snart, the village's most popular warrior, but many still wondered, "Where's the stability in our ruling line? Which leader are we going to lose next?"

Those were certainly Snart's thoughts as well. His life over the past few years resembled an out-of-control dragon ride, careening from ecstatic highs to crushing lows and back, barely giving him time to breathe before something else changed. He'd trained three dragons and lost two of them, one by his own hand; he'd made close friends in Berk and walked away from them in pursuit of the girl he loved; he'd won her heart, but lost his eye. Now, against the odds, he'd survived a duel against the son of the chief he revered, and as a direct result, he found himself taking that son's place as Machen's future chief, a role he'd never wanted before and didn't want now.

Rainbit tried to encourage him. "Jackbart was right about one thing. You're going to make an excellent chief some day. The people love you, the dragon riders would follow you to Niflheim and back, and you've got a proven track record of making good decisions. What are you so worried about?"

"I'm worried about running out of luck," he answered. "A lot of those so-called good decisions came about because of my friends; many were because of the dragons; and a bunch of them were nothing but good guesses that turned out well. I don't feel like I'm that great a decision-maker. I look at your husband, and the burden of leadership he carries. If that burden got shifted onto my shoulders, I don't think these shoulders are big enough to carry it."

"You wouldn't carry it alone, any more than he does," she replied. "He relies on me a lot to help make decisions, and you'll have Hildi to help you in the same way. You'll still have your friends, and you'll still have the dragons, and you'll have something at the start that Germburg didn't have – the people's good will. They'll want you to succeed."

"You can't mean that!" he exclaimed. "I'm just the latest in a long line of men from other places who moved into Machen and tried to take over. Are you trying to tell me your people wouldn't rather see someone from their own village living in the chief's house?"

"Snart, both you and your dragon wear the scars you received while fighting for this village. You've put your life on the line for us more times than I can count, and that doesn't include what you've done for our fishermen and our fleet. This town has gone from near-starvation to prosperity since you moved here, and no one can deny you had a lot to do with it. Most chiefs get the title because of who their father was. When you take up that position, it will be because you earned it."

"You mean, because I married into it," he objected.

"Germburg wouldn't hand this tribe over to someone he didn't approve of, no matter how they were related," she answered heatedly. "He never told anyone about this except me, but he was having qualms about letting Jack rule in his place. His son is a fine warrior with all the Viking virtues, but he's hot-headed and impulsive, and he doesn't think about consequences when he speaks or acts. You couldn't have joined this family at a better time, but my husband would have considered you as a possible successor whether you married Hildi or not."

"That's touching," he said, "but I still can't believe that anybody would want me to be a chief over them! I'm an ex-farmer! I've lost more dragons than all the other riders combined! I'm a total nobody!"

"Snart, stop telling lies about yourself!" Hildi exclaimed as she burst into the room. "You're the best thing that's happened to this village in five generations, even more so than my stepfather!"

"I think you're a little bit biased," he grinned.

"Not as much as you think," she shot back. "But if you won't believe me or my mother, then just take a walk around town. Interact with people, and watch and listen to how they treat you. If you're willing to be honest with yourself, you're in for quite a shock."

"Fine. I will," he decided, and set out for no place in particular.

He strolled easily around the town. He realized that he knew all the buildings and streets and paths, but most of the people were virtually strangers to him. But he never would have guessed that by the way they acted toward him.

"Good morning, Snart!" was the most common greeting. Maybe he didn't know them by name, but they all knew him on sight, young or old, high or low.

He passed two small children playing in their yard. "Thank you for saving my mommy, Mr. Snart," the younger one called to him.

Puzzled, he glanced at the mother who was watching them. "_Frue,_ I don't recall saving you from anything. What did your son mean?"

"He means you saved us all from the Jonds, several times," the mother replied with a smile. "If it weren't for you and Hildi, my husband would probably be dead, and my children and I would be slaves somewhere in Jond. Our kids need to know who their heroes should be, and who they should be thankful to."

"Uh, you're welcome," he said, embarrassed. He walked on.

A few houses later, a small group of teens saw him coming and took a quick break from their chores. "Snart, can we ask you something?" the oldest girl said.

"Sure," he nodded, unsure of what he was about to get into."

"Well, we saw your dragons flying over the village yesterday, and we started talking, and we were wondering... what's it like to ride a dragon?"

Snart made a face. "I wish Hildi was here to answer that. She's much better with word pictures than I'll ever be. But it's kind of like this.

"When you climb onto a dragon's back to go flying, it doesn't matter if it's the first time or the thousandth time. It's amazing to think that this huge animal is going to go wherever you tell it to go, and if you fall off, it will swoop down and catch you. Flying on a dragon doesn't take that much courage, I don't think, but it takes huge amounts of trust.

"Then she crouches down, and you brace yourself, because when she leaps into the air, she's going to _snap_ your head back!" He demonstrated. "I've never found a way to avoid that. I think other kinds of dragons take off differently, especially the Gronckles, but if you're going to fly a high-performance dragon, you're going to get whiplash at the beginning of the ride.

"Then you look down and watch the ground falling away beneath you, and you think some really profound thought, like, 'I'm flying!' " The teens chuckled. "But you realize you're doing something that isn't natural for Vikings to do, and which very few of them have done. You could get proud and think you're really somebody special. But you feel the dragon's wing muscles pulsing under the saddle, and you realize it's the _dragon_ that's special, and you're just along for the ride because the dragon lets you.

"The view from up there... it's hard to describe. It's not just the height. If you could make a building five hundred feet tall, so you could look down and see the same things dragon-riders see, I don't think it would be the same. It's knowing that you're held up there by nothing but two thin dragon wings and the dragon's willingness to carry you."

"You make it sound scary," one of the girls said.

"It would be terrifying if you didn't know dragons, and your own dragon in particular. I've been riding Skybaby for about two years now, and I think of her as a friend. But I would _not_ call her 'tame.' She can be as much of a killer to her enemies as any wild dragon.

"Maybe that's what makes riding a dragon so amazing. It's not inherently safe, and it's not inherently dangerous; it's whatever you and your dragon make of it."

The teens nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you, sir," they said, and returned to their chores. Snart watched them for a few seconds, then walked on.

He heard a sudden squawking from a nearby house. The door flew open, and a four-foot-tall Nadder stumbled out, chased by a housewife with a broom. "Get out, you om-nom-nom-nivore!" she shouted. "That fish pie is for my husband, not you! You act like I don't feed you enough!" Snart recognized the Nadder as one of Skybaby's most recent clutch.

"Oh, hello, Snart. Honestly, I've tried to follow your advice, but this lizard wants to eat everything in sight!" the woman exclaimed. "What am I doing wrong?"

"You might not be doing anything wrong, _Frue,_" he answered. "Some dragons are just mischievous and need more training than others. Some of them want more attention than they're getting, so they get in trouble to make you notice them. Others are just plain hungrier than others, and no amount of training is going to cure that. I'd increase his rations and see if that helps. If it doesn't, try including him in some family activity, like hanging out laundry or taking last night's bones to the garbage pile. If that doesn't do it, all I can suggest is keeping that broom handy."

"Thank you, Snart. I'll try that," she sighed with relief. "I'm glad _somebody_ knows the answers around here!"

"It's mostly lucky guesses," he replied, but she had already gone back inside. He walked on.

Children asked if it hurt when he lost his eye. Young adults asked what it felt like to ride a flaming dragon in battle. Older adults either congratulated him on marrying Hildi, or wished him well, depending on how they felt about the upcoming "official" wedding and the "real" wedding that had already happened.

By the time he'd circled the town and returned to his starting point at Germburg's house, it had been a long day, and his perception of how the town viewed him had been badly shaken. The chief was waiting for him at the door, grinning. That was unusual, and suspicious.

"Welcome back, Snart. I'm told that you've had a long walk today. How did that work out?"

"Very long, sir. Hildi suggested it, but I'm starting to suspect that your wife put her up to it."

"Actually, I put both of them up to it," Germburg smiled. "I confess, I tricked you."

"Tricked me, sir? What did you trick me into doing?"

"Getting to know your village," the chief replied, suddenly serious. "You've been so busy with dragons and adventures and pretty girls, you've had no time to meet the town you've adopted, or the people who have adopted you.

"A good chief can't function that way. You have to have your finger on the pulse of your village at all times. You have to _know_ your people – their hopes, their dreams, their fears, their needs. When you want to make changes, you need to know if they'll be behind you or not. When it's time to make hard decisions, you have to know exactly how hard you can push them before they break."

"Leadership sounds like a heavy burden," Snart observed.

"It is," Germburg agreed. "It's a burden that most men can't carry, including a few who try to carry it anyway. People who crave power for its own sake... I don't understand them. But the men who are able to bear that burden have an obligation to do so, for the good of everyone. I didn't accept the job because I thought I would be a super chief; I accepted it because I realized that no one else could do it, and I didn't have the right to deprive this village of the chief it needs and deserves.

"You have the makings of another fine chief, Snart; everyone knows it. But being strong and brave aren't enough. You need that human contact with your people. I arranged with my wife and daughter to send you on that walking tour because it was your first lesson in how to be a chief. You've made a good beginning, and I know you could handle it if I handed you the job tomorrow. But you've got a long way to go, if you want to be a good chief and not just an effective one. Luckily for you, I'm still fit and healthy, so I'll be around to help you learn."

Snart looked sheepish. "I think, for the first time in my life, _I've_ been out-Snarted."

The chief roared with laughter. "Yes, my young friend, _you've_ taught _me_ a few things, too. If I'd tried to teach you this lesson two years ago, I'd have ordered you around, and made you sit and listen while I talked. That might have worked, but it just wouldn't have had any style.

"But, as you said, it's been a long day. Shall we go get some supper?"

"I'm not sure, sir. Is there another lesson waiting for me in the Mead Hall?"

The chief laughed again. "No, unless you want a lesson in eating a whole chicken at one sitting," he said. "Besides, I think these little lessons will be more effective if you don't know they're coming."

"Very well, sir. After all, you're the chief."

"For now," Germburg said. "After you?"


	86. Part 3, Chapter 19

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 19

The day was cloudy and cold, like most days in Machen. A long procession wound down from the town to the clearing. Germburg led the way, wearing his best ceremonial clothing. Behind him, side by side, walked Snart in a green wool tunic and pants and Hildi in a pure white dress and her mother's bridal crown. She also proudly wore two keys on her sash as signs of her authority as a wife — the front-door key of her house, and the key to the chest that held the Book of Dragons. Hiccup and Nagmire followed them, and a large assorted crowd brought up the rear. They included Rainbit, Stoick the Vast, dragon trainers from Machen, Berk, and Norpi, and most of the village. Waiting for them in the clearing were Wizard and Skybaby; Rainbit had tied white bows around their necks for the occasion.

Snart and Hildi exchanged their swords, put on their rings, and spoke their vows to each other as Chief Germburg superivsed. The entire ceremony took less than ten minutes, which was typical for Viking weddings. Everyone retired to the Mead Hall; unlike the wedding, the reception would go on all day.

"I was actually more nervous the second time," Hildi confessed to Snart as they sipped their honeymead together.

"Maybe it's because there were a lot more people watching us," her husband suggested.

"They can watch the wedding all they want, as long as it stops there," she said, and winked at him.

"Remember the first time we met?" Rainbit asked him with a smile. "You were raiding the village, demanding food." She swept her arm around, pointing at the piles of food provided for the reception. "Is this enough, dragon-man?"

"How about the first time _we_ met?" Germburg added. "You were demanding to know where my men and I were going. It looks like we all wound up here, including you."

Hiccup and Astrid joined them at their table. "Congratulations, you lucky pair," Hiccup began. "We kind of figured you'd be the first trainers to team up for keeps."

"Except for Wartfoot and Mallie, you mean," Hildi corrected him.

"They don't count," Hiccup countered. "Snart kind of jump-started that relationship himself."

"Speaking of jump-starting relationships, when are you two going to take the plunge?" Snart wondered, with a twinkle in his eye.

Hiccup and Astrid glanced at each other, slightly embarrassed. "I guess that's up to our parents," Hiccup mumbled. "They're dragging their feet for some reason. Anyway, we brought you a gift. We'll explain Hildi's gift after you open this one." Astrid presented Snart with a small wrapped box. He opened it curiously.

Inside was a golden badge of a Nadder head.

"All the riders of Berk took a vote to make me a Dragon High Master, with a gold badge," Hiccup explained. "It was their idea, not mine. I said I'd accept only if you got the same rank. I know you don't want to outrank me, but I don't want to outrank you, either. So congratulations, Dragon High Master."

Hildi gave her husband a proud kiss. "What are you going to do with your silver badge?"

"He's going to give it to you, seeing how you both have the good taste to ride Nadders," Astrid grinned. "You've passed every test we can think of, we took the vote yesterday in Berk, and now _you're_ a Dragon Master. Every Academy should have two of those, don't you think?" Hildi's face lit up in surprise; then her husband returned the proud kiss.

"All these badges!" she exclaimed. "Hey! Let's raise a whole family of dragon trainers, and they'll all train different kinds of dragons, and we'll really keep Hiccup hopping with all the badges. How's that for a plan?"

Hiccup's face fell, but Snart smiled wickedly. "If the chief had to answer that, I think he'd say, 'Thank you for nothing, you youthful stepchild'."

Their groans and laughter could be heard as far as the clearing. Their dragons trumpeted back happily.

_THE END_

A/N

… or rather, it was _supposed_ to be the end. It was a logical stopping place, and for months, I've considered this story to be a closed book that ended here. But I've grown fond of Snart, and I realized I don't _want_ his adventures to end. This week, as I prepared to end the Saga, I had an idea for at least one more adventure that you'll probably want to read about. Expect the first installment sometime next week. It's not over!


	87. Part 3, Chapter 20

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 20

Their second honeymoon was interrupted by reality only once, when they had to take their dragons to sea in search of a small sailboat. Two children who thought they knew about the sea and ships had made off with it, and their parents were desperate to get them back before night fell or a storm blew up. Naggie's Gullvinge was the first to find them; he and Skybaby each brought back one of the children, and Wizard lugged the sailboat home for good measure.

For the rest of the month, the town respected their "Do Not Disturb" sign, and that suited them just fine.

The time finally came when they had to resume their normal lives. "Normal," of course, is a relative term, and they found that their "normal" life as a married couple was a lot more fun than their lives as singles had been. They no longer had to avoid being alone together; the older ladies of the village no longer made a point of keeping an eye on them to make sure they behaved; and if one of them was having a hard day, the other could give him a hug and a kiss without starting gossip.

The one most likely to have a hard day was Snart. As the leader of the Academy, he had to make all the decisions about dragons and their riders, and he had to take all the responsibility if he made a bad choice. He also suffered from headaches from time to time, probably an after-effect of the blow to the head that had taken away his right eye. He didn't talk about it much, but Hildi suspected that the pressure of knowing he was next in line to be the village chief was getting to him as well. He leaned hard on her for strength and support, and now there were no limits on how supportive she could be. That only served to bond them even closer together.

Naggie seemed to be having a relapse of her old rebellious self. It wasn't hard to guess why. Since the Berserker War and Jackbart's desertion, the Machen Dragon Training Academy had gone from four full-time and two part time members, down to only three members, two of whom were usually focused on each other. She felt left out and isolated, so she resorted to making her own fun.

Snart and Hildi were trading ideas on what to do about that when a blue Terror flew into their window and perched on Snart's shoulder. He removed the message from the leather tube it carried, and read it out loud to his wife.

"Hiccup wants to have dragon war-games?" she exclaimed. "Wasn't a real war enough for him?"

"I know I've had enough of war," he nodded. "But he wouldn't suggest something like this if he didn't have a good reason. At the very least, we should get together and talk to him about it."

"My father might veto the whole thing before we even start," she replied. "He still wants dragons on duty at all times to guard the fleet, and now that we're down to three dragons, I don't see how we could play any game Hiccup might have in mind and still keep our chief happy."

"Hiccup wants to get all his riders together with us to discuss this, so it must be very important to him." Snart got up to pace back and forth. "I'm willing for them to come here for the meeting; that won't take us off duty, so Germburg won't object. How do you feel about playing hostess in your own home for the first time?"

Hildi smiled. "Somehow, you have a way of finding a good angle in anything when you want to. Give me a day or two to make some plans, and then, sure." Hiccup wrote a reply on the back of the note Hiccup had sent him, bribed the Terror with one of the small fish they kept handy for such occasions, and returned to discussing Naggie as the little dragon flew away to the south.

Three days later, the five dragons of Berk's Training Academy descended on Machen. The clearing that served as a back-up dragon's nest was too small for all those flying reptiles; half of them had to settle on the rocky islet that was Machen's actual Academy, and their riders were shuttled to shore by the others. Between the six Berk riders, the three Machen riders, and Rainbit, who was always welcome as a former rider, Snart and Hildi's living room was quite crowded.

"I'm glad you invited us," Hiccup began. "I'm sure this sounds like a strange request, especially after what we've all been through in the past year, but I actually have a good reason."

"I figured as much," Snart nodded, "and I'm dying to find out what your reason is."

"I'll sum it up in one word," Hiccup replied. "Outcasts. I think they're trying to learn how to train and ride dragons so they can conquer Berk, and it's only a matter of time before they figure it out. I want me and my riders to be ready for anything Alvin might try, before he tries it.

"That's why I'm asking you and your Academy riders to put us to the test.

"I'd like you to launch a series of mock attacks on Berk, at times and places of your own choosing. We'll try to protect our town against you. If we can handle the kinds of things _you'll_ think of, then there's no way Alvin can take us by surprise."

"Alvin will have an advantage in numbers that we can't simulate," Hildi pointed out.

"True, but if I know the man, he'll attack as soon as he has enough men on dragons, regardless of their skill," Hiccup replied. "It will be quality against quantity. We have to have that quality if Berk is going to survive. That's why I'm asking your help."

"My husband won't approve," Rainbit interrupted. "He firmly believes that a dragon's place is on its home island, ready to respond to raiders, or crises among the fishing fleet. Your mock battles will take his riders away from home for too long."

"Could you do it early at night, when your fleet is at home?" Astrid asked. "That would be better training for us anyway; if we can fight effectively at night, fighting in the day will be no problem."

"Oh, sure," Snart chuckled. "Not only do you have us outnumbered; now you're going to know exactly when we're coming? You aren't giving me much to work with."

"I know you," Hiccup smiled. "You'll come up with something. And anything you come up with will be the best training we could ever get."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence," Snart smiled. "What are the rules of this game you want to play?"

"Your dragons will try to raid Berk as often as you want over a two-week period," Hiccup answered. "If you get there, you'll shoot your fires into the harbor where they won't hurt anything, and count how many shots you get off. We'll assume that those shots would have hit a house or a tradesman's shop if it was a real war, so we can track how much damage you're doing to the town. If we tag your dragon with our dragon's wings, or shoot fire within a hundred feet of you, your dragon is done for the next day and night. You can shoot back with the same effect, of course. At the end of two weeks, we'll look at the damage you did and the casualties both sides took, and see what kinds of lessons we can learn."

"Our dragons will be shooting fire at each other?" Ruffnut exclaimed.

"Cool!" Tuffnut added.

"No closer than a hundred feet of each other," Hiccup corrected them firmly. "If a fire shot comes any closer than that, the dragon that shot it is done for two nights. We're going to be flying hard in the dark; it will be easy enough for us to get hurt without taking stupid chances with dragon fire."

"For a second, I thought I was going to like this game," Ruff sighed.

"Do we get battle stars if we win?" Snotlout asked eagerly.

"It's a game, not a real battle!" Astrid answered, irritated. "Which part of 'game' don't you understand?"

"The only part I understand is the part where the girls love a guy with lots of battle stars," Lout answered smugly. "You should have seen that girl who sailed with her father on that fur-trading ship! She was putty in my hands! I just don't know how she found out that the stars stood for the battles I've been in."

"Oh, that," Fishlegs hemmed and hawed. "I kind of explained it to her with my own stars. She, uhh, she had a rather nice reaction to thinking of me as a war hero."

"YOU?" Lout exploded. "She thought _you_ were as good as _me?_ I've totally lost respect for that girl!"

"Are you saying you had any respect for her to start with?" Astrid snapped.

"Anyway," Snart cut in, "I'll say for now that we'll go along with this idea, starting tonight. If we have to change our minds and back out, we'll TTX you. Is that okay?"

"Deal," Hiccup agreed. "Should we head home and brace ourselves for your first attack?"

"Not before supper," Hildi said firmly. "I went to a lot of trouble to cook for all of us, and you're going nowhere until you've tried my fried flounder."

"Is she a good cook?" Tuffnut demanded.

"Do you see me losing any weight?" Snart replied, with a sidelong glance at his wife. She took that as a sign that it was time to serve supper.

They'd been eating for about fifteen minutes when Fishlegs suddenly asked, "Where's Nagmire?"

Snart just smiled. Hildi looked at him for a moment and tried, unsuccessfully, to hide her giggles. Hiccup looked puzzled. Astrid suddenly slammed both her fists onto the table.

"That's _cheating!_" she shouted; she sounded quite angry. "It's totally unfair!"

"Do you expect the Outcasts to fight fair?" Snart shot back. "You wanted me to get you ready for anything; don't blame _me_ for taking you literally."

"What are you two talking about?" Hiccup demanded.

"He sent Nagmire and her dragon to raid Berk while we're all up here, eating supper!" Astrid explained angrily. "That Grapple Grounder is going to use up his whole shot limit with no opposition!"

"Is that true?" Hiccup asked Snart.

"I sent her out while everybody was distracted by Snotlout and his battle stars," he grinned. "You can't deny, one tactic you _have_ to be ready for is a sneak attack."

"The idea is for us to practice stopping you, not for you to show off how tricky you are!" Snotlout protested. "Hiccup, you've got the fastest dragon; go catch her!"

"In a straight race, Toothless could beat Gullvinge by a small amount," Hiccup replied. "But Gullvinge's got almost a half-hour head start; I couldn't possibly catch him in time. We might as well admit we've been outmaneuvered in our first mock battle, and stay to enjoy this fish, which, I might add, is very tasty." Hildi beamed. She wasn't a great cook, but she wasn't bad, either, and the flounder had come out better than usual for her.

As they left after supper, Hiccup clapped Snart on the shoulder. "You win the first round," he smiled, "but it won't be so easy next time."

"I have no doubt of that," Snart replied with a matching grin. "But you know me. I don't play to lose."

"I do, indeed, know you," Hiccup replied. "Toothless hates to lose, too. If you're as good as I think you are, I don't know how I'm going to deal with him."

"You expect to lose?" Snart didn't plan on hearing that.

"No one learns anything from a victory," Hiccup replied. "The only way we'll benefit from this is if you teach us a lesson. I know you're capable of that, but don't expect us to just sit back and take it."

"I'm not worried about that at all, my friend," Snart nodded. "You don't play to lose, either."


	88. Part 3, Chapter 21

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 21

The next morning, the only topic of discussion at the Machen Academy was the wargames.

Naggie was quietly exuberant. "I have to admit, after weeks of flying patrols for fishing boats, last night was _fun!_ Can I do it again tonight?"

"I'm going to use you and your dragon to the fullest," Snart answered, "but one thing we can't do is repeat ourselves. Whatever we do, they'll come up with a defense against it, so we have to keep changing our tactics or we're wasting our time. I'll warn you right now, Naggie, I may have to use you as a diversion now and then –"

"A _diversion?!_" Nagmire was outraged. "I've got the best dragon in Machen! How could you waste me as a diversion?"

"Two reasons," Snart replied. "One, that bright-gold dragon is hard to hide in bright moonlight, so if there's no overcast, they'll see you coming a mile away. Two, once they realize you're our heaviest hitter, they'll double-team and triple-team you, so you won't get through anyway. But once you've diverted them a couple of times, they won't know if you're really attacking or just distracting them, and that's when I'll turn you loose again. Don't worry, Naggie; you'll have plenty of fun before this game is finished."

"You keep calling this a game," Hildi objected. "We'll be flying at full speed in the dark, we'll be trading dragon fire back and forth... I wish you'd take it more seriously. Somebody could get badly hurt, and I have a bad feeling it's going to be you. Hiccup said your dragon-fighting days were over, remember?"

"I remember," he said, a bit sadly. "Life is what it is. And this battle won't be a bit like the others I've fought. The Jonds, the Berserkers... they relied on numbers and brute force. This time, we're up against a much smaller team that's as smart and as skilled as we are, and they're a little more experienced as well."

"They also outnumber us," Hildi observed.

"Yes, by a small margin," Snart nodded. "They also have several dozen part-time dragon riders they could call on. Most of them have to work for a living, so Hiccup can't fill the sky with dragons, but he could probably make use of a few now and then, just to gain an advantage, or to surprise us. In particular, we'll probably bump into his father's Thunderdrum at some point."

"Don't forget Jackbart," Naggie added.

Snart made a face. "Actually, I _did_ forget about Jack. Thanks for the reminder. He's working as a fisherman again, but once he knows about these games, he'll give Hiccup no peace until he's had a chance to go head-to-head against us. Against me in particular."

"Are those their only advantages?" Hildi asked.

"Far from it. They know exactly where we have to go, and they only have to guard against us for a limited time each night. They've got Toothless, who has the best night vision of any dragon, not to mention he's the fastest, he's the smartest, and he's got Hiccup on his back. That pair can easily handle any of us at night."

"What about the others?" Naggie asked.

"Astrid and Stormfly are about equal to Hildi and Wizard," he began. "She's smart and battle-experienced, and her dragon is fast and responds to a huge list of commands. If she has any weakness, it's that she can get caught up in the heat of battle and forget the big picture, but even that wouldn't last for long.

"Fishlegs and Meatlug aren't the best fighting team, but they relate to each other well, and they don't have any weaknesses aside from the ones every Gronckle has – slow in the air, prone to fall asleep at random moments... you know what the Book says about them. He knows those weaknesses and will probably work around them. It would be easy to underestimate that pair. Don't.

"Snotlout is your classic Viking, with all the strengths – he's brave, aggressive, and skillful – and all the weaknesses as well – he's predictable, unimaginative, and too eager to show off in front of the ladies. He doesn't have much control over Hookfang, either. They aren't an effective team. Not to mention we can all fly circles around a Nightmare. Unless we're stupid, Snotlout doesn't worry me.

"The twins are unpredictable. If Hiccup can convince them that his plan will be fun, they'll be fearless and dangerous to us. If he can't convince them, they'll be distracted and more of a danger to their own side. Here again, our dragons can outfly Barf and Belch, but we can't write them off as harmless.

"As for the other dragons that Hiccup might call up, we'll deal with them when we meet them. We know plenty about dragons, so there won't be any big surprises, except maybe Thornado. If that Thunderdrum does take to the sky against us, he'll be like Snotlout riding Stormfly – a powerful, smart dragon with a mindlessly aggressive rider."

"Do we have any advantages?" Hildi asked.

"A few. We get to choose the moment and the method to strike; they have to guard against anything and everything, and it's just a matter of time until one or two of us gets past them. We have Naggie; they know as little about Grapple Grounders as we do about Thunderdrums. I know Berk well, so their home-field advantage won't gain them much."

"And we've got you making the plans," Hildi smiled.

"I admit I'm looking forward to that part," he said with a half-smile. "The trouble is, I'm not trying to outsmart Dagur this time. I'm up against Hiccup, with Astrid and Fishlegs backing him up."

"And he's the best," Naggie finished.

"Exactly. I"m trying to outwit the guy who taught me most of what I know. It's like trying to out-maneuver your own reflection in a mirror."

"What's your plan for tonight?" Hildi wondered.

"I figure they're going to just play safe and guard the harbor," he began. "We won't launch a full attack tonight; they'll expect that. Instead, we'll let Naggie run up the score a little higher." Nagmire perked up at that. "I want you to fly around Berk and approach from the seaward side of the harbor. Stay low, so the moonlight reflecting off your golden scales won't look so different from the moonlight reflecting off the water. Take one, and _only_ one, long-range shot into the harbor; then turn and get out of there before Toothless overtakes you. They'll spend the rest of the night worrying where your next attack will come from, while you'll be safe in bed, resting for tomorrow's attack.

"I don't want to hear that they shot you down, no matter how many points you might have scored, okay? Tonight isn't about the points; it's about messing with their heads. Once they realize you can hit from long range, they'll have to spread out, and that will give us an advantage. Can you do that for me?"

"You've got it, Snart," she grinned wolfishly.

**o**

At the same time this meeting was taking place, a very similar meeting was occurring in the Academy in Berk.

"Fishlegs, you know what I want from you," Hiccup began.

"Yup. Break it down," Fishlegs nodded. "We have the advantages of numbers, a limited time window for their attacks, the home-field advantage, and the fact that we can let them come to us. We also have a Night Fury."

"They have a Grapple Grounder," Astrid pointed out.

"Yes, and the Grapple Grounder is similar in many ways to Toothless," Fishlegs agreed. "But their dragon isn't nearly as effective at night – he's much more visible and his night vision isn't as good. We can also pad our numbers with some of the part-time dragon riders in the town if we need to."

"Don't forget, we've got _me,_" Snotlout chimed in.

"He's not talking about _their_ advantages yet," Astrid shot back.

"They do have some advantages, but not many," Fishlegs continued. "Their dragons are all very fast and very smart, and they're more practiced at flying over water than most of us are. Snart used to live here, so he knows the island almost as well as we do. He and Hildi are very much in tune with each other, which means if we bust their plan and they have to improvise in the air, they'll probably support each other without exchanging a single word. And... Hiccup, no offense, I'm not saying Snart is smarter than you, but he's probably the best fighting tactician in the whole Northland. Even with all of us working together, I'm not sure we can out-think him."

"The way I see it," Hiccup nodded, "is that, if we can see them before they get into shooting range, we've got them. Snart has to think of ways to sneak up on us in the dark, and we have to be able to either see him first, or react fast as soon as we do see him."

"Why don't we just fly in circles over the harbor so they can't take a shot?" Snotlout wondered.

"For one thing, that won't be a useful tactic against Alvin," Astrid answered. "Don't forget, the goal of this game is to teach us to fight a real enemy."

"Not only that," Hiccup added, "but once Snart sees us doing that, he'll come up with some kind of a counter-tactic. He's going to try something new every night, and we have to try something new as well, or he'll catch us flat-footed and he'll eat our lunches."

"Not _my_ lunch!" Ruff exclaimed, suddenly sitting upright. "I didn't get much breakfast!"

"How come you're always talking about Snart, Snart, and Snart?" Tuff demanded. "You make it sound like he's the only one we're up against."

"Well, Hildi is a good Nadder rider, and Nagmire has a dragon that's almost as awesome as Toothless," Hiccup agreed. "But Snart and his crazy ideas are what's going to make this game hard for us. Without him, the other two are just a couple of good riders; we could handle them easily. _With_ him, this could be the fight of our lives. What I need from each of you is some guesses about what he might try next."

"Hiccup... is this personal, between you and Snart?" Fishlegs wondered.

He thought for a second. "Maybe some of it is," he nodded slowly. "Everybody keeps telling me that I'm the best, but I've always thought he's just as good as me. Maybe I want to find out who's _really_ the best."

"Could you live with the answer you might get?" Astrid asked.

"If the answer is the truth, then yes," he said with finality. "I'm not worried about finding out that I'm not really number one; that was never a big deal to me. I just want us to be ready when Alvin comes, and if that means I have to get knocked down a peg in the process, it's worth it to me.

"My main concern is that nobody gets hurt."

**o**

They flew over Berk harbor that night. Hiccup flew top cover, circling at high altitude so Toothless could see as far as possible with his superb night-adapted eyes. The others flew in a circle around the harbor at low altitude, ready to jump any dragon that got close enough to shoot into the bay. The moon was fairly bright and there were few clouds, so visibility was good.

Naggie hid just inside one of those few clouds, watching Toothless and timing his orbits. Her dragon helped her spot him in the darkness; whenever he seemed to fixate on something, she'd look where he was looking, and she'd quickly pick up that blacker-than-black shape. Once she figured out his timing, she waited until he'd just swept by, then dove for the wave tops.

She was proud of her dragon and his abilities. They skimmed the ocean at high speed; she felt him tensing up. "Get your fire ready, Gullvinge. One shot tonight, just one, so make it a good one!" As soon as she thought they were close enough, she counted to three to make sure, then shouted, "Fire!"

The dazzling fireball lanced away from them, marking their location as surely as if she was carrying a torch. The golden dragon banked away toward the land. She closed her eyes until she heard the "whump" of his plasma blast exploding inside the harbor. That scored a point for her team, but more importantly, it ruined the night vision of everyone nearby. It was _so_ tempting to take advantage of that, and fire another shot or two... but Snart would be furious. He'd been nice lately; she didn't want to ruin that. They sped away and turned for home.

Far behind them, a Night Fury flapped hard. Toothless somehow knew there was a competition of some kind going on, and he also knew that the flash of Gullvinge's fireball was bad for his team. Night Furies don't like to lose. He strained every muscle to overtake the Grapple Grounder and show him who really owned the night. Fortunately, he was approaching the bay when the fireball went off, and he quickly spotted his prey before the prey could get a huge head start.

Hiccup felt Toothless starting to prepare to shoot. "Hold your fire, bud! We'll have some fun here." They sped through the darkness, gradually closing the distance, until they were side by side. Apparently, Naggie didn't see him.

Hiccup nudged his dragon with his foot, and Toothless sideslipped until he could swat Gullvinge's wingtip with his own. The golden dragon was so startled, he nearly went into a spin.

"Tag, you're out!" Hiccup called. "See you in a few days!" He couldn't see Nagmire's face, and that was probably just as well.

The riders of Berk spent the rest of the night adjusting their tactics. Instead of orbiting the harbor, they traced smaller circles well outside of Berk, and moved those circles around every few minutes. If Machen's dragons tried that trick again, Berk would take them out of the game long before they got a shot off. Of course, they didn't think Snart would be stupid enough to try the same trick twice in a row. But they _had_ to do _something_.

Hiccup hated to lose, too. He'd taken out the attacker, but she'd still scored on him. Snart had surprised him twice now. That had to change.


	89. Part 3, Chapter 22

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 22

Snart wasn't happy to learn that he'd lost the use of Nagmire and Gullvinge for the next night. She'd done exactly what he'd told her to do, so he wasn't unhappy at _her_. It was just bad luck, or Toothless' amazing abilities, that had inflicted 33% casualties on his force on their second raid.

"Now what?" he asked Naggie and Hildi the next morning.

"We only lose her for one night," Hildi said.

"We could skip the attack tonight, and let them wear themselves out looking for you," Naggie suggested.

"That's a good idea, but I think Hiccup will expect that," he replied.

"Would it be bad to give him what he expects?" Hildi wondered. "Maybe he'll get overconfident."

"Some Vikings might get overconfident, but not Hiccup," Snart said firmly. He got up and began pacing around the edge of the cave. "I have some ideas for our next few strikes, but we need three dragons to do it. I need ideas for hitting them with two dragons, or just one, or we may have to get predictable and skip a couple of nights."

"Getting predictable is the last thing you want, I know," Hildi said sympathetically. "But it's going to be hard to do much with them whittling our numbers down."

He stopped in his tracks and stared at her. She smiled. "Can I take any credit for the idea you just had?"

"You can do a lot more than that," he grinned back. "You can help make it happen."

He spent the rest of the day visiting some people who might help with his future plans, but as the sun set over Machen, it was just the two Nadders and their riders who winged silently south.

**o**

"Do you think he'll try to attack with just two dragons?" Astrid thought out loud.

"I _know_ he will," Hiccup responded. "Taking tonight off would be the logical, predictable thing to do, and that means it's the _last_ thing _he'll_ do. Nadders can't take long-range shots like Nagmire's dragon can, so they'll have to actually enter the harbor to score any points off of us. That means we can go back to the basic circle plan, with a few changes to keep him from outguessing us."

They flew in circles around the harbor that night. Some flew clockwise and others flew counter-clockwise; Hiccup and Toothless remained in their high-cover position, but Astrid and Stormfly flew in a rotating series of ovals so she supported all the other dragons in turn.

She flew up to Hiccup's level for a minute. "You seem awfully sure he'll try to get through us," she called.

"I know the man," he replied. "He won't be able to resist the – _what?_" Off in the distance, a shaft of brilliant white light lit up the night for a moment. Only a Nadder could make a display like that. As both their dragons put a wing over to dive in that direction, another shaft of light appeared in a different place.

"I've got the one on the right!" he called, and vanished in the dark. She nodded and kept Stormfly racing toward the location of the first flare.

She never caught sight of her quarry. "It must have been a diversion!" Astrid decided, and turned back toward the harbor at full speed. If Snart had tricked her into leaving her position, she'd never hear the end of it from Snotlout.

When she got back, there was no sign of any kind of attack. What was going on? Was Snart just messing with their heads? She told Stormfly to find Hiccup, and they were soon wingtip-to-wingtip again.

"What did he do to us this time?" she demanded. "Was it a trick?"

"No," Hiccup said glumly. "He scored on us again."

"How?" she demanded. "He couldn't have gotten off more than one or two shots before the others were all over him, and he was nowhere near the harbor."

"He didn't score hits on Berk," he answered. "He scored hits on _us_. Snotlout and the twins are both out of the battle for a day. _They_ were the targets of those two Nadder flares. They each got one of our dragons, and turned and ran. Toothless never even saw them."

"So that means that, tomorrow night, it's three against three?"

"Yup," Hiccup nodded.

"He's fighting dirty," she growled.

"He's fighting the same way the Outcasts will fight," Hiccup said. "Whittling down our numbers is a tactic that Alvin will definitely try, and we have to have plans to deal with that. We also need plans to handle Snotlout. I think Ruff and Tuff are relieved to have a night off, but Lout is spitting mad that they got him. I wouldn't want to be around him for the next couple of days."

"Okay, so what are our plans?" she asked.

"Oh, I've got some lovely ideas," he grinned. "For starters –"

He stopped as the night was lit up by twin pillars of white-hot flame in the bay.

"They came back for more!"  
"They got Fishlegs!"  
"Get the one on the left!"  
"I'm on it!"

Astrid streaked away in the dark. Hiccup knew that he and Toothless had a better chance of catching their quarry than she did, but if she got lucky, that could turn the odds back in their own favor. He could barely see the shadow of the Nadder they were chasing; he couldn't tell whether it was Snart or Hildi. The dragon was flying straight and level, so he suspected the latter. They were slowly closing the range; in a few seconds, they'd be in plasma-blast range.

Then he noticed that the dragon wasn't flying as straight as he thought. It was gradually bearing off to the left. There were no hiding places there; why would it be...

Suddenly he understood. "Astrid, watch out!" he screamed, but the wind tore his words away. A second later, the Nadder breathed a fire shot that passed neatly under Stormfly, not close enough to do any harm, but close enough that she was definitely out of the battle.

Toothless let out a fire shot of his own, and it burst beside the Nadder, revealing that it was Hildi on Wizard. The Night Fury turned quickly; apparently he saw Skybaby and had taken up the chase without being told.

_I'm chasing Snart now,_ Hiccup thought. _Now__ it will be a contest!_

The other dragon did anything but fly straight and level. Every second or two, she veered to one side or the other, or climbed or dove slightly, in a completely unpredictable pattern. Toothless fired at her twice, and twice she turned on her tail and pulled away to a safe distance before the shot went off. But every time she turned, she gave up a little more of the distance between them. They were getting closer.

Suddenly, Skybaby stood on her tail in a loop-up. Toothless pulled up, waiting for her to fly right in front of her... but she spun before she was halfway up, and did another loop-up in the opposite direction. The Night Fury wasn't fooled and stayed with her, but their opponent had gained some height over them, and they used it in a high-speed dive that actually increased the distance between them.

"Stay with her, bud," Hiccup encouraged his dragon. "She can't keep pulling tricks like that all night. She'll get tired long before you will." _I hope,_ he added mentally. Toothless grunted as he continued the chase.

About three frantic minutes later, Hiccup could see the silhouette of his adversary. "Okay, Toothless, enough games," he said. "Let's put him away."

At that instant, the dragon in front of him spun on her tail again... and flamed! Toothless shot at the same time. Their fire shots passed within a few feet of each other, and were easily close enough to put each other's dragons out of the game. Skybaby flew upward so she didn't collide with Toothless, and they were soon flying wing to wing.

"That was a desperation move," Hiccup grinned.

"When you're up against the best, a little healthy desperation can be a good thing," Snart called back. "Tonight's battle is over – everyone's out of the war. Shall we gather at the harbor and get ourselves organized before we call it a night?"

"I guess so," Hiccup replied. They flew slowly, and eventually rendezvoused with Hildi, then with Astrid. The other Berk teens had already landed, apparently.

"Is everybody okay?" were Hiccup's first words.

"I can't believe that _troll-bride_ got the _drop_ on me!" Astrid raged.

"Now, now – that's my _wife_ you're talking about," Snart said, with a slight edge in his voice.

"You would have done the same if I was on Hiccup's tail, wouldn't you?" Hildi added.

Astrid didn't answer.

"Anyway, that was a clever plan, Snart," Hiccup said. "When Nagmire gets back in the game tomorrow, there won't be a one of us who can go up against her."

"Except all your part-time riders," Snart replied.

"At least you scored only one point off of us tonight," Astrid said, trying to sound civil. "You're trying lots of ploys, but none of them are doing you much good."

"Really?" Snart grinned. "Maybe you better look toward the harbor entrance." They all did as he suggested, just in time to see two pillars of fire stab out of the darkness and set the chill waters boiling. One of the flaming spikes left some burning residue floating on the water.

"Inconceivable!" Astrid shouted. "You're all out of dragons! What have you done to us now?"

"Don't you think Alvin will try to find some allies to do his fighting for him?" Hildi asked.

"You mean, like the Berserkers?" Astrid wondered. "Those aren't Berserkers out there."

"No, that's Wartfoot and Maldemer from Norpi; I'm sure of it," Hiccup sighed. The two strange dragons shot fire again. "Snart got some allies of his own, and they're going to use up their shot limits with no opposition, just like Nagmire on the first night. We can outfight him, but what good is that if we can't outmaneuver him?"

"If I could make a suggestion?" Snart said. "Your tactics are defensive in the extreme. You put everyone out on guard positions, and you just wait for us to come to you. That gives us an advantage. Try something different next time."

"Oh, believe me, we _will,_" Hiccup vowed, as he watched the Norpi dragons continue to run up the score for Machen.


	90. Part 3, Chapter 23

**Snart's Saga, Part III** Chapter 23

Wartfoot and Mallie had asked if they could spend the night with Snart and Hildi in Machen, rather than fly back to Norpi. "Your town is closer, and she gets a little tired these days," Wartfoot half-explained. They'd been glad to share their home with their friends from Norpi, and when they could see them clearly in the morning light, it was pretty obvious what Wartfoot was referring to.

"Mallie! You're... you're..." Hildi stammered in delight.

"Yes," Mallie nodded happily, resting her hands on her slightly-rounded belly. "Four more months, and the two of us become a trio." The two women headed for the kitchen part of the house, chatting animatedly, leaving Snart and Wartfoot in the living area.

"Did you see how fast she latched onto another woman to talk to?" Wartfoot asked. "She can't do that in Norpi. No one will talk to us; even her own parents are standoffish. She needs to talk to other women about what she's going through. It wouldn't do me any harm to talk to some men about fatherhood, either."

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Snart said. "You need to move up to Machen! People _like_ dragon riders here, they're willing to adopt strangers into the community, they'll put your forestry skills to good use, and there are plenty of mothers and fathers who'd be glad to share what they know."

"I'm thinking it might be time for that," Wartfoot nodded. "But we've lived in Norpi all our lives. I feel like I'm being disloyal if I leave."

"Loyalty is a good thing, in its place," Snart replied. "When you're married to someone, you need to stay with them for life, no matter what. But a village isn't a marriage. You don't owe that town anything. I know you'll miss your families, but it doesn't sound like there's much of a relationship left there, and if that changes, you can fly down and visit them in an hour.

"I'm not a father, Wartfoot, but I can tell you this much about fatherhood: you need to put your own wife and children first."

"When you put it that way, it sounds like an easy decision," Wartfoot said. "My only other concern is... it's kind of stupid, but I worked so hard building that house for us, I hate to leave it behind."

Snart looked thoughtful. "Is it a sturdy house?" he finally asked.

"Strong enough to take all the snow a Norpi winter can dump on us," Wartfoot said proudly. "I built it to last all our lives, and I didn't take any shortcuts."

"Is it strong enough to be picked up and carried here by dragons?" Snart asked with a trace of a smile.

Wartfoot broke up in incredulous laughter. Mallie peered out of the kitchen, curious. Her husband walked over and embraced her.

"Mallie, how would you feel about living in a house next door to this one?"

**o**

The plan was simple; Chief Germburg fully approved when they told him about it. The execution of it took a little more work. Their five dragons carried Wartfoot and Mallie's belongings up from Norpi to Machen, where they were stored in an empty warehouse. It took each dragon one trip, and that part of the job was done.

Then they borrowed some heavy rope, usually used for ship anchors, and looped it through the house's doorways and window openings. Naggie and Gullvinge were exempted from this stage; the Grapple Grounder wasn't built for heavy lifting, and he and Naggie needed to save their energy for tonight's raid on Berk. The three Nadders and the Nightmare got some careful instruction from their riders about what was going to happen next. Snart had worried that they'd think the work was demeaning and beneath them, but they seemed to look forward to it. "I guess even dragons like to do something different for a change," Hildi commented.

Then, as a few curious onlookers from Norpi watched, the dragons flapped up and landed on the roof so they could grab the rope loops in their claws. With Rødskjønnhet and Skybaby in front, and Sterk and Wizard in back, they had plenty of lift to get the wooden house off the ground. It creaked, but held together as the dragons flapped hard and flew away with it. The only question was whether they had the stamina to carry such a heavy load all the way to Machen in one flight.

It turned out, they didn't. They had to find a clear spot where they could land the flying house and rest for an hour or so. They finally set it down in the middle of a crossroads; it was the only place they could find on short notice. They blocked the progress of several wagons and carts, and the carters might have gotten more upset about it if it weren't for the dragons on the roof. Besides, it's not every day that you're made late because a house has suddenly gotten in your way.

They finally reached Machen near sunset. Most of the town turned out to meet their newest citizens and watch them make an entrance like no one else had ever made. The men had done a quick job of clearing the plot of land next to Snart's home, so the flying house had a level place to land. It was with some civic pride that they watched _their_ dragons help bring an entire house from one town to another, and set it down in just the right place. Wartfoot and Mallie could bring their furniture and other possessions from the warehouse at their leisure.

"Welcome to Machen!" Germburg exclaimed jovially. "We seem to be a gathering-place for refugees from other villages, and I'm not a bit sorry about that. Wartfoot, Snart tells me you're quite the woodsman."

"I'm all right, I guess," the young man nodded.

"If that house is typical of how you turn trees into timbers, then you're a lot better than just 'all right'," the chief said. "We have a couple of woodsmen in town, but they're overworked, and one of them is getting on in years. You'll find plenty of opportunities to contribute to your new town, I'm sure. Maldemer, I'm not quite as sure what we should do with you."

"Sir, if I might make a suggestion?" Snart asked.

The chief shrugged. "I suppose I should have asked you first, Snart, seeing how dragons are probably involved. What's on your mind?"

"I was thinking, she might become the fourth rider in the Dragon Academy," Snart replied. "That big Nightmare will give us some strength and intimidation-power that we're lacking. She's skilled enough that she can join us immediately, without much of a training period."

"Does this have anything to do with that war game you're playing with Berk?" Rainbit asked.

"We've already used them in the game, and we plan to continue, no matter what we decide about Mallie," Hildi answered. "This just seems like the best use of the people we've got. Wartfoot can work with trees and wood for a living, so he doesn't need the town's support. Mallie is just as good with her dragon as he is, and she can earn her keep that way."

"It makes sense," the chief nodded. "I'll think it over. In the meantime, welcome to the village, and Mallie, please don't keep all the women-folk distracted with motherhood-talk all night long. Some of them have to work in the morning." He took a stroll around the house to check it out, nodding in approval now and then, and walked away, leaving the rest of the town to meet their new fellow-citizens and examine their town's newest dwelling.

Hildi drew Snart aside. "You realize, of course, that we just became their first choice for babysitters?"

"I hadn't thought of that," he replied. "I've got a feeling they're going to take that baby wherever they go, even on their dragons. They won't need a sitter much."

"We'll see," she said with a smile. "It might be good training for... well, you know."

"Hildi, are you trying to tell me something?" he exclaimed, surprised and slightly alarmed.

"No, not yet," she purred. "But I wish I were."

"You can't deny we're doing everything we can in that department," he smiled.

"Maybe," she said, a bit sourly. "Since that wargame started, you've been kind of distracted."

"Have I? I'm sorry," he replied. "I'll tell you what. We're both grounded from the game tonight anyway. I'll give Naggie her instructions, and we'll hang out the 'Do Not Disturb' sign. Deal?"

"Deal!" she grinned.

**o**

"You're flying for all of Machen tonight, Naggie, as you know," Snart began. "I know you've been itchy to show what you can do. Tonight is your chance to show it."

"You shot them all down last night, right?" she said eagerly. "I'll have the skies to myself, right?"

"Far from it," Snart replied. "The Academy members are all grounded, but Berk has several dozen part-time dragon riders, and I guarantee you, Hiccup will find a way to get five or six of them into the air tonight, maybe more. The only one who might be a threat is Jackbart, and there's no way of knowing if he'll be one of the part-timers tonight until you get there. The others have seen some action, but they won't think and react like warriors; they'll give you no trouble unless they get lucky, or unless you push your own luck too far."

"What are your orders?" she asked.

"My orders are, I'm turning you loose. Fight this battle any way you please, as long as the ultimate goal is to run up the score in our game. You can be stealthy, you can get in their faces, you can play it any way you like. Just try not to get tagged out, don't take any risks that might hurt somebody, and make us proud."

"I'll bring back a good story, I promise," she smiled. "Snart... thank you. I didn't think I'd enjoy playing at war, but it turns out, both my dragon and I need some excitement now and then."

"Strike hard, stay safe, and have fun!" Snart called as Gullvinge rose off the ground. Then he turned and strode toward his house, grinning all the way.

**o**

Naggie rode in silence as Berk drew ever nearer. Tonight was cloudy and overcast, not a clear night like last time. How should she approach the town? Straight in? Loop around and come in from the seaward side, like she'd done last time? High, or low?

Gullvinge suddenly seemed nervous; he was looking all around him, mostly behind him. She'd learned to trust his senses, and he clearly sensed something nearby.

"Up, Gullvinge! Straight up!" The dragon stood on his tail and flapped hard. No dragon, maybe not even Toothless, could match her dragon in a vertical climb. If something was closing in on her, it could never follow her now.

Behind and below her, a bright light shone for a moment. She didn't look back until the light faded; then she turned to try and find her pursuer. She could distantly make out the shadow of something with long wings, falling back as it tried and failed to match her dragon's climb. It was probably a Nadder, and its desperate attempt to flame her out of the game had fallen far short. They'd tried to ambush her before she ever got near Berk! Snart would want to know about that tactic. She maintained her climb until they entered the cloud layer.

She'd planned to go up through the clouds and fly above them, but decided that the Nadder behind her would do the same thing. They stayed in the clouds. There was a very small chance she'd collide with another dragon that way, but the chances of another dragon staying in the clouds tonight were vanishingly small.

She found that, if she stayed near the bottom of the misty layer, she could make out some of the landforms below, but anyone below her probably couldn't see her. She navigated toward Berk's harbor and again considered how she should make her attack.

She thought she saw a dragon over the harbor. She risked leaving the clouds so she could see better, and her risk paid off. There were _three_ dragons over the harbor, at three different altitudes. By their lack of forward motion, they were probably Gronckles hovering. Due to their lack of attentiveness, they were stacked almost vertically.

She grinned tightly, and chose her attack plan. "Get your fires ready, Gullvinge!" She would go _straight down_.

They plunged earthward. She made minor changes in their dive path until the three guardian dragons were lined up in front of her. "Gullvinge... _fire!_" His plasma bolt passed about a hundred feet from each of the Gronckles in turn, putting them all out of the battle at once, then splashed into the water and burst, scoring a point for her team and soaking the lowest-flying Gronckle with spray.

_Top __that__ shot, Snart!_ she thought exultantly. They pulled out of the dive and headed out to sea. She looked back and saw no one in pursuit; that probably wouldn't last long. She pulled Gullvinge into a loop and headed back. They took a long-range shot and turned away, like they'd done that second night, but with no fear of a Night Fury overtaking her this time.

She took three more such shots before she spotted the silhouette of another Nadder closing in on her from the direction of the town. It was flying a zigzag course, which suggested it was searching for her and hadn't found her yet. "Down, Gullvinge! Down and slow!" They turned toward it, trying to be as small a target as possible. Maybe they could fool a Nadder at night, and maybe they couldn't. It would be fun to find out.

After a few seconds, the other dragon obviously saw them and dove at them. "Gullvinge, up!" She raced straight at it, and in moments, they were far too close for the hundred-foot fire limit. The Nadder turned aside to avoid a collision. Naggie grinned. A few more flaps, and Gullvinge swatted the Nadder's dangling foot with his wing.

"Tag, you're out!" she shouted. It would have been easier to shoot it down from a distance, but by doing it this way, she saved one of her dragon's shots. They turned back and used that shot for another long bomb into the harbor.

She fired off the rest of her shots that way, varying her attack angle from time to time. She saw no other dragons in the night sky, but she stayed alert and took a zigzag route home, just in case. Eight points scored, and four dragons taken out! That was a performance that would be hard to beat! She was fiercely proud of her dragon, and a little proud of herself as well.

If she'd had hopes of a heroine's welcome when she got back to Machen, she was disappointed. Wizard and Skybaby chuffed their welcome, and Sterk and Rødskjønnhet acknowledged that she'd landed, but no one else was around. The village was asleep except for the night watchman, who greeted her politely. She intended to report to Snart while the action was still fresh in her memory, but they'd hung that "Do Not Disturb" sign on their door again.

Honestly! Didn't those two ever get _tired_ of each other?


End file.
